Akatsuki Servants
by Hyrulehalfbreed
Summary: Madara decides that the members of his organization need an "incentive", but how will the new slaves and more importantly the Akatsuki survive? Is this love or hate? MadaPein KisaIta SasoDei OrochiKabu KakuHida ZetTob ZabuHaku NaruSasu Summary inside! Unfinished, adopted by Erun1
1. Chapter 1

First off I am NOT going to give up on my other stories, I just have had this kind of story stuck in my mind and plaguing my dreams for the longest time that I couldn't help but start to write it. Now then let me explain a little bit of what's going on so you are not completely in the dark, Madara Uchiha is the leader of the Akatsuki in this and Orochimaru is still a valued member, Zabuza joined the ranks of the Akatsuki when Kisame did since he liked to work with Mr. Blue, and Naruto IS a member of this Akatsuki though his history will be revealed later. ^_^ ...I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!

Summary: Madara decides that the members of his organization need an incentive, but how will the new slaves and more importantly the Akatsuki survive with the new additions? Can these new boys really warm the hearts of these cold blooded killers and what changes will occur within the slaves themselves and their masters with the threat of another great ninja war just on the horizon?! MadaPein, KisaIta, SasoDei, OrochiKabu, KakuHida, ZetTob, ZabuHaku, and NaruSasu.

NOTE THIS: Pein in this story is a mixture of Nagato and Yahiko, so... pretty much he looks like Yahiko with the orange hair, yet has the attitude of Nagato. Hope that clears everything up! Also the Akatsuki still work in pairs so here is the teams: Kisame and Naruto, Orochimaru and Sasori, Zabuza and Kakuzu, and finally Zetsu and Madara though they usually work alone as Zetsu is a spy and Madara is the leader, meaning he rarely is called upon to go along with his men on missions.

Also thank TheBlackCrow for helping me with this and "Blood Seal", without her I think my interest in writing would have gone down the drain by now. She an amazing friend and spurs me to keep pushing forward in these stories and life... Thanks so much buddy! ^_^

Summary:

"Talking"

_'Thinking'_

**"Zetsu's Dark Half"**

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Madara narrowed his eyes at the group of mismatched males before him, first he looked towards the silent Zetsu and Sasori, then to the annoyed looking Kakuzu, Kisame, and Zabuza, a pouting Naruto, and finally he turned towards Orochimaru who had that same smug smile on his face that seemed to always say "I-know-something-you-don't". Holding in a sigh that would alert the group to his thoughts the leader of the most feared organization that had ever plagued the earth said simply, his voice laced with the warning that if they dared argue there would be consequences, "I think that it might be a good idea to get a slave for each member like Zabuza has Haku."

One of the two masked men before the ancient Uchiha had his eyes widen in utter disbelief before the neon green orbs narrowed as he growled out lowly, ignoring the obvious warning from the men surrounding him, "You expect me to pay my hard earned money on some whore? Not a chance, I won't be a part of this!"

The other masked man next to the one that had just spoken glared at Kakuzu obviously furious that the other had called his lover a whore, but still Zabuza managed to hold his tongue. After all he was just going to destroy a few of the stitched together man's hearts later for revenge, an unseen smirk worked its way across the ex-mist ninja's face at that thought. The light side of Zetsu's face was next to speak as he said with disgust lacing his voice, "We have no interest in such a thing." The dark side then added on with a smirk spreading across its half of the green haired man's face, **"Unless we can eat it that is."**

A muddy red orbs of the only puppeteer in the organization's eye twitched as he thought to himself while folding his arms over his chest, _'I really don't want a little brat following me everywhere...' _Still Sasori didn't speak these thoughts aloud seeing as it would probably be of no use, once Madara got an idea in his head there was no humanly possible way to convince him to change his mind. That was one of the qualities of their leader that the red head both respected and was annoyed by. The youngest member a blond boy with whisker like scars covering his cheeks had his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, it was obvious that the poor 12 year old was having trouble organizing through what the their leader had said. Blue eyes still wide Naruto slowly started to shake his head in disbelief, after all, what was HE supposed to do with a slave?

Kisame remained silent throughout the exchange, truly unable to think for a few seconds before his face twisted in a grimace... the man HATED the idea of having a slave since he thought it was morally wrong. Yes, even in an organization in which the men killed in cold blood every single day of their lives the shark-like man still had an idea of what was right and wrong and owning a person was definitely wrong. Orochimaru on the other hand had the exact opposite idea as Kisame as he now had a wide grin stretched across his snake-like face. The long haired man was delighted by the mere thought of what Madara was suggesting about the relationship that they were to have with their chosen slave... it was no secret that the only reason that Haku lived in the base was the fact that he was Zabuza's lover and would never give away any of the organization's secrets even under torture; Zabuza had trained the boy well.

Madara was once again forced to hold in a sigh, why couldn't his subjects just trust his judgment and not try to ruin his fun? But the man didn't allow these thoughts to show as he said simply as he gave the others a withering glance that would remind them of their place, after all HE was the LEADER and what he said went, "I believe that it would be a good investment for the simple reason that ever since Zabuza found Haku he has had something to return to, and in return he fights harder and wins more battles. Which means that you, Kakuzu, will earn more money." Dark eyes flickered towards the next two members that were most likely to kill their new charge and said with seriousness and threat lacing his voice, "And no Sasori you can not turn the kid into a puppet as soon as you get it. Zetsu you can not eat it either. You will all be given a choice on the who you purchase and what you do after that is your own business... But if you kill it I will force you to get a replacement and that means more time and money will be spent."

Kakuzu ground his teeth not liking the thought of spending more of his beloved money and finally growled out in anger resisting the urge to just lose control of the words inside his head, "Fine."

The spiky haired leader smirked at the reluctant submission towards his plan and said with amusement lacing his voice as he turned towards the entrance to the base as he called back towards the group of still dumbfounded males, all of their minds were working desperately to figure out what the hell just happened and how they might be able to worm their way out of the seemingly impossible situation, "We'll be leaving now then, and don't worry they won't be completely useless after all we are going to a place that has kids with kekki genkis for sale."

"Wait now we're getting KIDS? What do you think I am some pedophile?" Kisame asked obviously feeling more than a little offended and not to mention concerned, as his mind thought in slight panic, _'Just how young can a person be before they are forced into slavery. Human kind really can be too cruel.'_ Madara only rolled his eyes at this though and explained disinterestedly while staring up ahead towards the secret path out of the Akatsuki's territory, "Your age preference is your own concern; but they do have both boys and girls of almost all ages."

The group grudgingly followed their leader though Sasori quickly summoned Hiruko to travel in and Zabuza managed to sneak out of going along since he wasn't in need of a slave since he had his lover, Haku, who he quickly worked his way into the inner building in search of the boy. It was late in the afternoon by the time that someone dared to break the overbearing silence, and once again it was Kakuzu, who had suddenly stopped in his tracks to turn to look at the hidden red head to ask with all seriousness in his voice, "Do we even have to buy one for Sasori? I mean does he even have THOSE functions left?" Obviously the banker had been figuring every cost in his head and thought that maybe they wouldn't have to purchase a brat for the ex-sand ninja since most of the slaves were eventually going to be used for sex and with Sasori being a puppet there could be no need for one.

Sasori's eye twitched for the second time that day and it was increasingly clear for everyone that the puppeteer was on the edge on losing it as he growled out through the gruff voice of the puppet he was inside, "THAT is none of your concern." And with that said Sasori increased the pace of his puppet with a few flicks of his fingers so he could walk away from the rest of the group and their annoying questions and stupid looks they were sending him.

"Damn I really think that you might have crossed the line there Kakuzu-kun. You really want to get on everyone's bad side today don't you?" Kisame whispered softly still afraid that the puppeteer might be able to hear them and the blue skinned male did NOT want to be on the end of a poison laced blade that the man most commonly used. Kakuzu sent a glare at the other in response and growled out in annoyance, "Does it look like I care?" The man really was more than a little pissed off with the situation and he could actually FEEL the migraine growing in the back of his skull causing a grimace to form under his mask as he resisted to rub his temples to calm the increasing ache.

Orochimaru let out a soft chuckle causing the rest of the group to look towards him as he said softly with a smile stretching across his pale face, "You all should calm down after all, why get worked up over this?" It seemed that the man had already decided that the new purchases were a good idea and he was going to use his new "property" to the best of his abilities and that was that. Kisame and Naruto shivered slightly though from the other's words hoping to get the images out of their heads, it was no secret that the black haired man was a homosexual pedophile.

Zetsu remained silent throughout the journey though it seemed that the two sides that made up the male were inwardly arguing about what to do once they got their new "charge", as he would either nod his head or shake it at some unheard voice. Kisame watched this in amusement before a troubled expression crossed his face once again as he took a glance at the confused and slightly flustered expression on the young blond headed male in the organization's face. Though the blue skinned male loved the fact that for once Naruto wasn't talking endlessly, it disturbed him to see the preteen without his usual cocky smirk or happy smile on his face. Letting out a soft sigh Kisame placed a hand on the younger male's shoulder as he gave off a reassuring smile, "We'll get through this insanity somehow. Though you may just get a sparring partner out of this." Immediately blue orbs brightened and Kisame gave out a soft chuckle, if there was one thing that the blond loved more than artery clogging amounts of ramen, it was training and getting stronger.

Madara suddenly stopped causing the group to be dragged out of their individual thoughts to see that they were now standing in front of a large building and almost immediately the group grimaced as their leader entered the building forcing them to follow as well. The same thought ran through each of their minds as they moved into the dimly lit entryway of the "store" and were greeted by the owner... _'Just what can await us behind these doors?'_

**_XXXXXXX _In One of the Many Rooms _XXXXXXX_**

A silver haired, purple eyed 16 year old boy snarled at the man in front of him as he started to scream more profanities and struggled against the chain that linked him to the simple, plain looking bed that he was sitting on. The whole room contained a number of seven beds inside the room, but only six of them were filled. Each occupant was a young boy, their ages ranging from 12 to 16, yet each child was bound in the same way, as a heavy shackle was wrapped around their right wrist. But the shackle held another purpose than just keeping their wearer attached to the wall behind their bed, no it also worked as a chakra blocker as each boy in the room had a rare bloodline limit or kekki genki. Finally the whole room was fairly clean, though also every dull as everything was white from the walls to the cold cement floor; and each child was dressed in a black t-shirt and a pair of tight fitting shorts, their feet bare.

Another 16 year old, an orange haired boy ignored the fighting between one of his friends and the caretaker, silently his gray eyes traveled over towards the door of the place both he and the others were being kept. Trained ears easily picked up the sound of a large group of people walking towards the room and it was increasingly obvious that the new people weren't the caretakers by their huge chakra sources. Quickly he turned towards the still cussing teen to say with a voice that demanded the other to listen, "Shut up, there's a group coming."

Hearing what the other had said every slave in the room sat up straighter and went even quieter than before; even the albino stopped right in the middle of saying another colorful curse to go silent as well though not before giving the caretaker one last withering look, why did he stop? Well it was for the simple reason that the orange head scared him more than any kind of punishment that the caretaker could give him. Another boy in the room though, a dark haired teenager, turned towards his younger brother who was already starting to shift uncomfortably at the thought of buyers coming to take some of the mismatched group away forever and may even separate him from his aniki, his only source of true comfort and protection. The older brother just kept his face expressionless though as he turned towards the door, knowing that all he could do for the younger child is try and shield him from the buyers, even if it was for the last time.

Another dark haired 16 year old that sitting in the bed near the brothers almost immediately perked up at the words of their orange head informal leader, and with a dazzling glint in his only eye, he threw his hands upwards towards the ceiling and exclaimed in such obvious glee that it made the other boys wince away from the sheer volume and high pitched tone in the other's voice, "We're getting visitors!! Tobi was a good boy and now it's prize time, because Tobi was a very good boy!!!"

The group outside, none other than the reluctant members of the most feared organization in all of the ninja nations, stopped short in their tracks at the unexpected joyous scream coming from within the room that the owner of the "shop" was leading them to. With a heavy sigh the balding man shook his head, obviously not surprised by the shout; he turned to Madara, trying to hide the clearly annoyed look in his eyes though to the trained eyes of the shinobi before him it was as clear as day, "That was one of the merchandise... Please pay him no mind..."

The leader of the Akatsuki didn't even bother to reply, internally disgusted by the stench surrounding both the place and its owner. Did it look like he cared about the man's meaningless apologizes and endless chatter? But just when he was about to tell the man exactly that a sharp slap was heard from the inside of the room they were standing before, it was also closely followed by a surprised yelp; and then some curses... By the great Kami! What in the world was going on inside that "cell"?

The caretaker in the room was pissed, after all why the hell did all of the brats listen to and jump to answer any order that was spoken by the orange haired teen; but completly ignore anything that he himself spoke. Still the caretaker was not about to let the child get away with it, no not this time, and the man quickly brought his hand around to deliver a sharp slap to the boy's face making him flinch back, but much to the man's annoyance the teen didn't say a word about the hit, not even a soft yelp of pain or surprise! The orange head seemed to know that it wouldn't help the situation, but the purple eyed boy sitting across from him was not about to let this aggression go on without a loud string of cusses.

The boy known as Tobi yelped at the sharp sound of the slap, his only eye widened and even the skin around his eye patch stretched to show his surprise. With a sudden movement of his hand he jumped to the bed's edge, looking straight at the still emotionless teenager and completely unaware of the shattered chain dangling by his wrist as he called out in disbelief and shock, "But Leader was being a good boy!!" Quickly the spiky haired boy moved his gaze towards the bespectacled teen in the bed to his left, "Why was Leader hurt if he was being good?"

The 14 year old let out a soft sigh in response before pushing his glasses further up his nose as he answered the other's question while ignoring the caretaker's screaming at the orange haired teen, "Because the man is jealous that we listen to Pein-kun and not him, but if you want to do something about it here is your chance. Or haven't you noticed your chain broke?" The silver haired boy had amusement in his voice as he watched the other's surprised expression as he brought up his wrist to look at it to see he was right. Sure Kabuto knew that they would all later pay for what had just happened but for now he just wanted to enjoy the chaos that unfolded before him.

Tobi looked attentively at the broken chain around his wrist, almost as if waiting for century old secrets to be disclosed by the shattered object. His gaze then moved to the bespectacled teen, who was still watching him, waiting for his next action... he then looked at the albino whose curse words had escalated to a whole new level of colorful, and was also pulling so hard in his attempt to try and jump and attack the caretaker that his wrist was bleeding under the cold metal of the shackle. His only eye then caught the constant shiver coursing through the youngest member of the group and finally settled on emotionless face of their leader, left cheek already starting to redden. And then he snapped. "TOBI DEFENDER OF THE INNOCENT, JUSTICE, AND GOOD BOYS WILL SAVE THE DAY!!!!" And without any more preamble, he pounced on the shocked guard, clinging to his back and pulling on his greasy hair.

The purple eyed, foul language machine actually stopped screaming and silence fell between the group as the only sounds were the struggles of the guard and the one eyed boy. The albino blinked once, twice, three times before falling backwards onto the bed laughing his ass off at how easily the smaller boy kicked the other's ass as he hooted out while holding his gut in pain from laughing so hard, "Get the fucking bastard Tob! Make that prick pay!"

The Jashinist was having a ball as he shouted support of the fight while the rest of the little group watched in silent amusement and slight shock, but the fun wasn't meant to last as their leader's eyes traveled over to the doorway where a large group of men dressed in the same black cloak with red clouds traced by a thin sliver boarder printed on them stood. There was another person with this strangely dressed group as well and that was the owner, and the man's face was flushed in anger and embarrassment as he glared at the group of boys and the caretaker that was currently getting his ass handed to him on a silver platter. The teen knew that the owner was about to blow his top and that meant there would be trouble and severe punishment for each and every child in the room the second that these new men left to look at the better slaves. Grey eyes flickered over towards the struggling duo and said simply knowing that it was in everyone's best interest to not push their luck, "Get off him Tobi."

Not even a second after the other boy had finished his short order Tobi stood up, a wide smile on his face as he looked at the orange headed teen, "Yes, yes Leader-san." He rose from the twitching form of the guard, and with a hidden smirk he stepped on the back of the fallen form to get back onto his own bed where he jumped into a cross-legged position, so that his whole body was turned towards the door. Tobi's smile didn't lessen or even twitch as he took in the angry owner, as well as a big group of strange looking visitors and the boy's voice was as cheerful as ever as he spoke, "Hellos! Tobi was being a good boy!"

Madara smirked, visibly amused by the bubbly kid's actions, however his eyes locked with those of the orange haired one, who was looking at him directly... defiantly... The Akatsuki Leader's smirk broadened and one thought was running through his head as he gazed at the young male,_ 'This one is special...'_

The teen in question's eyes turned suddenly, becoming many rings that showed to contain a barely visible pupil, but just as quickly the strange phenomenon occurred he closed the eyes once again causing the gray gaze to return to normal. After all, there was no point in using his kekkei genki when he had so little chakra available; but still his slight glare and show of power was usually enough to make any buyer think twice about looking at him, hopefully it was going to the same for this group of men. He kept his eyes locked with the spiky haired male for a few more seconds before finally looking away, no longer amused by the staring contest.

Instead the orange haired boy cast his eyes on the rest of the slaves in the room, evaluating whether or not they were going to snap under the scrutiny of these strange new visitors. Much to his relief the ponytail wearing Uchiha seemed to be keeping his emotionless mask up with ease, though his dark eyes traveled back towards his younger brother's anxious form from time to time. The glasses wearing teenager was acting exactly as he thought he would as he just sighed and looked over each member of the new group with interest, calculating who they could be and what they seemed to be looking for. The purple eyed immortal glared at the group before blowing off their presence by laying flat on his back on the bed looking at his bleeding wrist with a sadistic grin. Tobi, as usual, was grinning widely as he gave a small wave to any of the others if he managed to lock eyes with them.

Madara's smirk turned into a big grin, instantly drawn towards the display of power by the teen and thought to himself while resisting the urge to move closer to that tantalizing promise of power,_ 'I definitely could have more than a little fun with this one.'_ Kisame, on the other hand, had his eyes shifting around the room inwardly disgusted by the clear ill treatment of the boys because damn, they were only kids! His pale golden, almost white, eyes settled on a black haired teen, all about the pale brat implied cold rage and something else... His relaxed posture showed aloofness, yet the slight turn of his shoulders gave the air of a guarding beast. The shark-man's gaze flickered momentarily to the huddled child in the bed closest to that of the other.

_'So this is the one being protected by the beast...'_ Kisame inwardly mussed to himself, but it was then that his eyes settled once again on the long haired one only to find a crimson stare glaring at him and without losing a beat his lips parted bearing his sharp teeth in an amused grin, finding fun in teasing the brat's obviously short temper. Kakuzu cursed within his mind as he gazed at the lot of brats in front of him and the owner that was showing to be almost as greedy as he was, after all he had to be to run a business such as this. Silently calculating all of the new expenses they'd have to have to take care of and purchase their new additions, an even more annoyed grimace spread across his face. None of the group noticed though when Sasori started to wander a little further down the dank corridor, trying to find a way out and avoid joining into this so called "investment".

The owner finally cleared his throat, obviously nervous under the stares of the dangerous men that were behind him. However, the man refused to ruin this opportunity, for if everything went right then each of these freaks would be buying a slave and THAT was a sell he wouldn't lose. Swallowing the fear that undoubtedly was showing on his slightly perspiring face he pointed at the bed closest to the door where the orange haired teen was seated. The owner frowned, this one was always troublesome, actually all of the slaves in this room were a pain. But he supposed that he could just go over them quickly and go to the further in rooms where the real expensive ones were located.

"That one," he started, roughly pointing at the expressionless teen, "is named Pein. He is normally calm, but has the tendency of controlling others around him and even though he posses a Kekkai we are not certain as to the extent of his powers. That's why we keep a particularly tight leash on him." He finished pointing at the shackle and chain around Pein's wrist, which were thicker than the ones the other kids were bound by. Madara smiled at this, highly interested in this little puzzle presented to him. He locked eyes once again with the teen and sent him a smirk, crystal clear on his message of interest.

Pein only blinked slowly in response to the stares he was getting as he continued to gaze at the group, yet on the inside he was more than a little disturbed by the fact that the spiky black haired male seemed to be more interested in him than ever, and inwardly he grimaced as the thoughts of what would happen to him if he did get sold started to pass through his mind. The teen did NOT want to be used the way that most of the slaves here were purchased for and that thought immediately brought up the memory of the blond haired male that used to be kept in the room with their little group, but was then moved to a different room to be used for "renting". And though he felt awful for admitting it, even if it was only to himself, it made him thankful that he wasn't as feminine looking as some of the others.

The owner quickly passed to the next slave, inwardly cringing when he locked eyes with the purplish ones of the so called Triple M, named by the ever changing caretakers, it stood for 'Migraine Making Monster'. "This one is Hidan." The disdain was tangible in his voice, but yet again completely ignored by the group. "He has the particular ability of immortality. It doesn't matter what you do to him, he'll never die. Beyond that though, his only redeeming quality would be his low price; considering his attitude!" He laughed at the end, a squeaky broken laugh that reverberate against the walls of the little room, enormously amused by his own joke and entirely unaware of the greedy gaze that locked eyes with the aforementioned slave.

_'Low price, eh?' _Kakuzu thought as he inspected the pale complexion of the kid; his mind already making equations about the money he would be saving by the fact that if he couldn't kill the brat when he was being annoying, then he wouldn't have to purchase another one. And this Hidan wasn't too bad on the eyes either... but he wasn't thinking about that, he was concentrating in the large sum of money being calculated in his mind as his neon green eyes were narrowed in concentration.**  
**

The boy now know as Hidan narrowed his amethyst colored eyes at the group and ignoring the sharp look from Pein he stuck his tongue out at them in obvious defiance, before turning to the orange haired teen with an innocent expression on his face as if to silently say 'Well at least I didn't cuss their asses off'. Pein actually had to keep an iron tight grip on the sheets of his bed to keep himself to smacking himself in the forehead... or maybe just plain hitting Hidan. Why would Pein want to stop Hidan? Well even though he didn't act like it the orange haired boy was actually trying to look out for all of the slaves in his little group and keep them from getting hurt or punished... though the silver haired immortal told him time and again that he loved pain.

The owner sighed deeply at Hidan's attitude. _'Well at least this way they won't be bought and I can move on to the more expensive ones...'_ He snickered softly at his own thoughts, imagining all the money he'd be making, but stopped abruptly when he felt the sharp stares boring into his back. _'Who exactly are these freaks?' _The man thought to himself, fear starting to crawl up his back like a huge spider. He managed to shake it off though as he coughed into his hand and quickly signaled towards the next bed where the teen with glasses was observing him, "That is Kabuto. His abilities include a fast healing rate, and healing others. You can say he is quite intelligent as well; however he isn't much in the physical department or in terms of stamina..."

Orochimaru looked at the kid, a malicious glint appearing in his eyes when he caught sight of his lustrous silver hair and creamy pink skin. The man's tongue flickered momentarily out of his mouth, moistening his lips as countless plans began forming in his mind and his grin only grew when he locked gazes with Kabuto and caught the equally scheming smile on the kid's face. This was definitely a boy that could keep him entertained.**  
**

Kabuto smiled softly as he kept his eyes locked with the snake like male's, already he knew that this was a person that he'd love to test his wit against though he guessed that there were other activities that wouldn't be too bad to do with the other. Yes, the bespectacled teen didn't really mind the things they were expected to do for their masters too much; after all what was the point of defying it when it would result in an even worse experience and probably unbearable pain the next day? That DIDN'T mean though that he wouldn't run as soon as the opportunity was given.

It was when those thoughts where running through his head though, that the silver haired boy saw the long tongue slip out of the other's mouth and immediately alarm bells rang in his head as he recognized who the man had to be and, in turn, who the rest of the people had to be... The infamous organization of missing ninjas and trained mercenaries, the Akatsuki. Which meant that the man that showed such interest in him had to be the legendary sannin, Orochimaru. Turning his head to give Pein a sharp look he mouthed the word 'Akatsuki' to the other, and to the bespectacled genius's relief it appeared that the orange haired teen understood the message as he immediately stiffened and a cautious look appeared in his gray eyes.

The owner did not notice any of this as he continued on to the next bed, visibly cringing when he saw Tobi waving at him and bouncing on his bed, apparently excited about being introduced to the strangers. However, while the man was busy thinking over what he could tell about the screw ball of the bunch he didn't noticed the glances being shared between some of the men behind him; a common thought going through each of their minds and that was_, 'These kids are special.'_ Finally taking in a deep breath the owner pointed at the three last beds, deciding it would be best to present them together; after all, they were of the same kind. "Those three in the back are all Uchihas, I doubt I have to specify about their abilities. The one with one eye is Tobi, please ignore him. The one with long hair is Itachi, and the youngest of all is Sasuke. The last two are siblings as well."

Madara stiffened momentarily at hearing who these last individuals were and shifted his gaze over the three Uchihas for only a second. Silently he wondered what they could be doing in a place like this. But easily shrugging off the oddness of it all he returned his eyes to Pein and smirked softly at the wary look the teen was giving him. Kisame was once again gazing at Itachi, inwardly praising the boy's attempts at covering his little brother from their eyes. The kid was strong, and the shark felt a sudden rush of respect for him; who, even in his current situation, still retained an air of nobility and honor. The one eyed brat smiled widely the moment his named was mentioned, and started waving even more frantically at the strangers as he spoke, "Tobi is pleased to meet you all!"**  
**

Meanwhile Naruto was pressing his back against the wall outside of the room, refusing to go inside and looking at the poor souls being enslaved there. He just couldn't believe Madara was forcing him to do this. Didn't he give his all every single time he went on a mission?! He didn't need a fucking incentive. Still growling softly to himself the blond looked up to see Sasori starting to walk down the corridor. Knowing the red head was as against this madness as much as he was, the youngest member decided to follow him. Naruto separated his back from his resting position with ease and started to walk towards his comrade, passing by the accursed door; but that's when he saw HIM. It was just for a second, but it was enough to petrify him in his place. Creamy white skin and midnight black eyes, framed by a spiky mane of dark hair disappeared from his view as a teenage boy with longer hair and slightly bleeding red eyes shifted his position and hiding the delicate beauty behind him. But Naruto had seen him. And that was enough for his mind to know that he would have no other.

Sasuke's eyes traveled towards his brother and instantly he felt ashamed. After all why couldn't he be so calm and collected like Itachi? The youngest Uchiha felt worthless compared to his elder, yet the other continued to protect him, making him feel even more guilty. Clenching his hands into fists Sasuke found the resolve to at least pretend to be calm and emotionless like his brother and quickly sat up straighter as he stared at the opposite wall across from him trying to ignore the feeling of the stares from the other group as he put on an expressionless mask, though he shuddered from time to time at the thought of what would happen if either he or his brother were bought.

**XXXXXXX In the Hallway XXXXXXXX**

Sasori walked through the long corridor, barely paying attention to the countless doors around him. The place disgusted him. He couldn't even begin to phantom why their leader was forcing this change upon them. '_It's not like a group of miserable brats will change anything.' _The puppeteer thought to himself as he continued walking, mindlessly leaving that dark, stale corridor to reach a new one; a more "ornamentated" one.**  
**

The air wasn't as stale here as it was in the other one, and the red head wondered why that was, seeing as there were equally as many doors in here as the other aisle. He looked around the bright place, almost ready to turn around and go back to his group when a door caught his attention. It wasn't as if the door itself had something special about it, though there were several locks placed on the new, nicely furnished wood that made it up. No, it was more of what was BEHIND said door. There was power behind it, not much to be immediately noticed; but more than enough to reach Sasori's sharp senses. He walked stiffly to the door, never once staggering in his path and brusquely opened the closed room while disabling the locks with barely a flicker of his fingers what were connected to the invisible chakra strings. And as he finally stepped into the new room he locked his emotionless eyes to a sapphire almond shape eye in the face of a too thin blond child; a heavy metal collar around the pale neck chaining him to the headboard on the bed he was sitting on.

The 16 year old blinked his one visible eye slowly as he watched the hunched over form of what he guessed to be a man, though just the other's strange appearance set him off it only made the blond give the other a weary look while backing up just the slightest to hit the headboard of the surprisingly soft bed he was resting on. Still though the teen wasn't terrified, he was nervous about the fact that he really wasn't sure if this man was here for the same reason that the other people that visited him before were. After all the caretaker said that he was going to be allowed to rest today and heal from one of their rather violent visitors. Biting his lip slightly he finally asked with confusion lacing his voice heavily, "Ca-Can I help you, un?"

Sasori cocked his head to the side, aware that his puppet was doing exactly the same movement. He was intrigued as to why this child was kept in such conditions. Alone instead of in a group like the other ones and so heavily imprisoned! A deep red eyebrow rose as the child kept on looking straight at him; usually most people would cower from his gaze and even more so when he was inside this particular puppet. It was at that moment that a small spark of interest woke in him. How could it be that this child's power was leaking through, even under all those chakra suppressors? His eyes traced over the boy's body, taking note of his obvious malnutrition and badly healed wounds. And yet still so cute and delicate... a true piece of art.

The boy watched the "man" in silence a little confused by the fact that he still didn't seem to answer him, but the blond stubbornly remained silent as well; a little annoyed that the other didn't do anything at all. Usually the men that came in here gave him an order or at least told him to shut up. Still the silence game was starting to bore him and he quickly decided on a plan that would immediately tell him what the man was here for. Slowly, a little hesitantly he brought his hands before him and then opened them, revealing the mouths inside the palms and silently the blond waited for his reaction knowing that the other would probably pull back in disgust or smirk in satisfaction at the sight the things that he was forced to use to pleasure countless others.

Sasori was taken aback when the young blond's palms were showed to him. This kid had a very singular and rare blood limit! The red head's interest in the child grew with every passing second, and against what many would page his character to be, he spoke loud and clear, though in the emotionless way that seem to describe everything that he was, "What's your name, brat?"

The blond's eyes widened at the strangely clear voice, before giving him a confused look answering the question simply, "It's Deidara yeah." But just as he finished speaking another man, a caretaker by the looks of his uniform, walked into the room obviously surprised to see one of their guests inside the room and he quickly explained trying to get the other to maybe leave and return to his own group, "Umm sir this kid's not for sell, please I'll take you where the ones that are available are located. This boy is only for renting."

Sasori's temper started to rise as soon as he sensed the other man coming his way. He wanted to find out more about the blond, about Deidara; and now he was told that the brat was "for renting only". This child was the only one that had minimally caught the puppeteer's attention, and the red head wouldn't be denied. Stiffly walking further into the room, he grabbed the chain around the kid's neck and tore it apart, inwardly relishing in the sudden surge of chakra coming from the blond. Then without missing a beat he grabbed Deidara by the arm and started to walk out of the room, ignoring the other man's protests and making his way back to his companions.

Deidara stumbled after the man obviously confused and really since he hadn't used the muscles in his legs in so long he could barely stand on his own two feet, let alone walk! After all being chained on a bed for a good majority of the day did that to a person. The blond was truly thankful to what ever god existed for the fact that he was able to push some chakra into his legs to help him move and since it had been bottled up for so long he had plenty to spare. Still Deidara was too shocked by what was happening that the thought of struggle never crossed his mind as he was pulled after the man, but his mind was shocked back into order as fear raced over him at the sight of the large group of males standing just a few yards ahead.

The moment Sasori reached the rest of the group, he locked his gaze with that of their leader's, completely aware of the fact that the rest of the Akatsuki must have felt the surge of power from the kid by his side. Ignoring the screeches from both the man that had followed him and the owner of the hell hole, he looked directly into Madara's eyes, saying in his usual monotonous voice, "I'm taking this one."

Hearing the words that came from the other man caused the mouth of the owner to open and close slowly like a fish out of water in shock; but after a few seconds of doing this stupid expression he was finally able to get control of himself once again as he pinched the bridge of his nose in obvious frustration as he explained simply in that slimy voice of his, "That boy is very valuable, he brings in most of our income. Are you SURE that you want him? And have any of you found anyone here of interest?" The man let out a soft sigh and thought of himself with a small smile, _'Even if I do lose Deidara, the fact that I'm about to get rid of the most bothersome brats here might be worth the loss... And also there's also the fact that I'm about to make a LOT of money!'_

Sasori spared only a glance towards the owner, watching as the man seemed to shrink under his gaze. He didn't even need to speak to make his point across: he would be taking this kid, whether the owner wanted to or not.

Tobi had been jumping on his bed the moment the source of familiar chakra spread throughout the room; and as soon as the blond appeared in his line of sight, his mind became one tracked: he IMPERIOUSLY had to greet Dei-sempai.... and that's exactly what he did. He jumped off his bed, passing over his Leader-sama's and Kabuto-kun's bed without so much as a thought, and skidding around the funny looking strangers at a speed beyond that of a normal human, "SSEEEMMPPAAAAIIII!!!" was the only thing heard before the black blur tackled the blond kid to the ground in a hug that would have put a bear to shame.

The owner glared at the two brats and sighed, he would just have to deal with the loss of income; for now he knew that there was no way he could convince the dangerous males out of buying the blond. The teen in question though just groaned slightly as his head smashed against the cement that made up the floor and in all seriousness he said with a voice laced with a dangerous tone, "Tobi if you do not get off me in 5 seconds, I will seriously blow your ass up into a million little pieces, un." Tobi quickly got off the blond, smiling widely at the annoyed look on the other's face, though a soft glint in Deidara's visible eye spoke volumes about his real thoughts. Pein looked over at the two and couldn't stop his slight smile at the fact that they seemed to act like they had never been separated in the first place, though the orange haired boy's expression quickly went emotionless once more when he saw that the black haired male's eyes were on him again.

Sasori grabbed the kid's arm once again as soon as he was up, and watched with slightly narrowed eyes as the bouncing black haired boy went back to his bed; though, of course, said expression went completely ignored, with him being inside his big mammoth of a puppet and whatnot. Madara, on the other hand, just widened his smirk highly amused by his subordinate's possessive streak over the blond brat. His eyes soon locked with the orange haired teen, though, and his smirk grew, exposing his crystal white teeth to the serious looking teenage leader. "I will take this one..." His voice dripping with hidden intent, "Pein, was it?"

Pein's eyes widened just the slightest to show his shock and disbelief, sure he knew this was probably going to be the outcome because of the looks of obvious interest during the whole exchange by the spiky haired male, but STILL just the fact that it was actually happening made his blood run cold. He wasn't the only one to be disturbed by his sudden purchase though, as the rest of the slaves in the room looked slightly panicked by the thought of losing their leader, but they managed to hold their tongues as the owner walked over to unlock the place where the chain was attached to the wall behind the bed. And with the shackle still wrapped around the teen's wrist so tightly that the skin always bared a bright angry red mark around the pale limb the owner handed the chain to Madara. Pein's expression remained emotionless, though to Madara's trained eyes he seemed to be on the end of losing it as he stood up from the bed and moved to stand by the black haired man though he REALLY just wanted to jerk the chain away and take off down the hall.

Madara smirked at this hidden reaction while grabbing the cool chain in a tight fist ensuring that he wouldn't allow his new "pet" to go through with his obvious intentions. The eldest Uchiha gave one last amused look towards the kid by his side before he moved his gaze towards Kakuzu, silently ordering him to make his choice.

Kakuzu sighed, still not at all amused by the large sum of money they'd be giving up for this and so, remembering his inner counting and the copious amounts of pros against the cons, he pointed to the purple eyed brat. Silently thanking Kami for the fact that if he DID regret his choice, he wouldn't have to lose more of his precious money on buying a new one, seeing as he wouldn't be able to kill the albino.

Just like Pein, Hidan's eyes widened before narrowing once again as the owner undid the chain. No one noticed that the immortal's fingers slowly moved to wrap around the silver necklace and pendant that was wrapped around his neck for the reassurance; for the promise that Jashin was going to look after him and not let him die no matter what this bastard did. That faith though did not stop him from dragging his feet while being led over to his new "master", damn even that thought made the boy want to let out a string of curses. But he managed to bit his lip to keep the words inside his mouth and not out in the air, Pein was still around after all.

Naruto had moved in closer to Madara, yet always remaining out the room, but close enough to see everyone. He wanted the youngest one that actually upon closer inspection seemed to be about the same age as himself though from the lack of nutrition and exercise, the other boy was shorter and much younger appearing than a normal child his age. _'Sasuke...'_ the owner had said his name was if the blond's memory severed him correctly; but then again, Naruto was never good at remembering things, that's why he usually just followed Kisame's orders during a mission when he had forgotten the point or target they were trying to get to.

Putting those thoughts aside since they were pretty embarrassing, even if he only admitted them to himself, the blond moved to signal to their leader that he had made a choice when he saw Orochimaru licking his lips suggestively, eying both the bespectacled teen and the slightly shivering Sasuke. A sudden protectiveness surged within him, and before the snake-nin could open his lips, he stepped forward, becoming visible to the slaves and owner; and in a commanding voice he locked eyes with the youngest Uchiha, "Sasuke is mine..." Even though his eyes were locked into the scared ones of the other, the underlying message was sound and clear to the rest of the Akatsuki members and that message was, 'This one was OFF limits'.

Sasuke flinched back in obvious shock, after all, he hadn't even seen the blond! Instantly the famous Uchiha glare was brought from both Sasuke and Itachi's eyes as they continued to gaze at both the whisker scarred boy and the owner that hurriedly undid the chain and forced Sasuke to his feet to follow him to his new owner's side. Sasuke managed to keep his glare up though he was unconsciously pulling away from the other as much as the chain would allow him. Itachi on the other hand was just plain infuriated as his expressionless mask broke to unleash a look of pure hatred towards the blond and the group in general.

Most in the group were taken aback by the ferociousness of the older Uchiha as his brother was taken away; and definitely more than one flinched when a shadow of the sharingan appeared in previously black eyes, even under the powerful pull of the chakra suppressors! However, the chilled tension in the room was broken when a rough laugh resonated off of its walls as Kisame lost his composure. He tried to control it, he really did! But it was just too amusing NOT to give in. So, it was with mirth still swimming in his eyes that he looked at the owner and smirked, razor sharp teeth glinting in his mouth, "I guess I'll be taking the little one's brother. After all..." His eyes now locking into the slightly shocked ones of the sharingan wielder, "No sense in separating the siblings, right?"

Itachi raised an elegant black eyebrow in question, though his anger was just slightly quailed by the fact that he was still going to be with his brother. Still the cold rage never left his gaze as the owner cautiously walked over to unhook the chain, before hurriedly giving it to the shark like male obviously fearing both of the individuals in front of him. The elder Uchiha, on the other hand, just went along without a sound though Sasuke immediately moved as close to his brother as possible to get some sort of feeling of protection and peace, even if it was only a sliver.

Orochimaru licked his lips in a lascivious gesture, disdainfully looking at Naruto who had DARED to cut his choice short, however, he couldn't complain as his eyes locked onto the bespectacled youth still sitting on his bed, watching him and the rest of the group carefully. "Kabuto-kun for me then, I ssuppose." he hissed, smirking slightly when the kid's eyes glinted behind his glasses as he went over to the other male's side without even a trace of a fight... Now there was only one member left to make his choice. **  
**

Both of Zetsu's eyes twitched, showing his obvious dislike for the situation, after all he didn't want to take a brat if he couldn't eat it. Though he guessed that if he had to then he might as well not split up the strange little group of brats. So he simply gestured for the one eyed boy, seeing that maybe he would be at least a little bit amusing by his talkativeness and though he wouldn't admit this allowed, he was curious as to how he lost the eye, though even without it he still manage to look cute.

Tobi watched as his friends were chosen one by one, a large pout forming on his lips at the thought of being separated from them. However, the moment the black, white, and green man pointed at him, an enormous grin formed on his face and before the owner could move towards him; even if it was unnecessary seeing as the boy had already broken free of his chain, he jumped onto his new "owner". Holding on tightly to the green leafy contraptions around his neck as he practically screamed out in joy, "TOBI PROMISES TO BE A GOOD BOY!"

The white side of Zetsu's face's eye widened, while the dark side's narrowed as he said in obvious annoyance and slight panic, "Please get off. **GET THE HELL OFF!**" Both voices had a different thing to say and they both did exactly that not caring if they freaked out the child or not, after all touching was something that Zetsu did not usually receive or want to.

Tobi only cocked his head to the side, one curious black eye focusing on Zetsu's mismatched face while releasing his strong grip on the older man. A sudden flash of a sharingan later, and a grin appeared once again on the hyper Uchiha's face, "Tobi is so lucky! Tobi has TWO new masters instead of only one! Tobi feels special!" And even though this time the kid didn't jump on the plant man, he stepped closer to Zetsu, smiling widely while being the only apparent one to happy with the change of ownerships.

Zetsu bit his lip and inwardly both sides argued on what to do in this situation and silently the ex-grass ninja turned towards Madara, silently pleading for some kind of assistance. This was not at all amusing for him, and in short, most people ran at the sight of Zetsu so he was very confused and slightly concerned with what the boy's mental stability had to be. And the fact that he had seen the change in "Tobi's" only eye and the way that he could tell that it was actually TWO people in his body rather than a split personality made him narrow his eyes in confusion, just how good was this hyperactive brat?

Madara just smirked, inwardly pleased with all the choices made. This bunch of kids were special, and he would enjoy seeing them grow both physically and mentally.... And of course he couldn't wait to see some of the most powerful men in the world being turned upside down by these children. Zetsu was already a given, if the pleading face directed at him was any indication. He then looked at the owner of the shop, whose eyes still hadn't regained their normal shape after the apparent shock of this "Tobi" character being chosen, "I guess this is it then..." And with that said he turned around, going down the hallway pulling on the chain tightly grasped in his hand as Kakuzu took care of the final payments for the purchase their new "members".

The large group moved swiftly through the deserted streets of the run down city. Not bothering to cover themselves too much seeing as it was already past midnight. They all walked through the main lane, guided by Madara. It was increasingly obvious that most of them wanted to reach the base and be done with it all. Kakuzu was mumbling curses under his breath, still apparently appalled by the price of Sasori's blond brat. Just what the hell made him so special that he was able to leave a resonating ache in the money-lover's pocket?! At least his own brat seemed to be pretty quiet and easily controlled... maybe it wasn't a bad choice after all.

As soon as the leader of the Akatsuki reached the edge of the forest surrounding the city he stopped, quickly shedding the chakra suppressing shackle from around Pein's wrist and signaling the rest of his men to do the same. Looking at Madara strangely, all the members did as they were told, wearily looking at their leader, more than a little aware of his "eccentric" and troublesome tendencies. "Well then, young men..." He began, his voice containing a fake, sweet tone that made all the kids cringe as he continued to speak, "...as I'm sure you must have already figured out, we are the Akatsuki." He let his words sink in, watching with interest how some of the kids' eyes widened and others just looked resigned. Madara smirked, more and more pleased with his current plan as the seconds passed, "I, as the leader, have reached a decision... I will release all of you."

The first one to react to the words was Kakuzu, who swore profusely at the utmost waste of precious money just for his leader's amusement cravings, however he became silent at the direct gaze set on him from Madara, the leader had a plan.

"As I was saying, I intend to release you all... but you have to EARN your freedom. I will let you all go inside this forest; and if you manage to remain away from your new owner until the sun comes up in the morning, then you are free to go. However, if owner in question catches you and puts the chakra suppressing collar around your neck... Well, I don't need to specify what would happen then, do I?" As he finished speaking, he couldn't help but chuckle at the incredulous glances being directed at him by the other members, but before saying anything to them, he once again directed his words towards the stunned slaves, "The time is running, kids... What are you waiting for?"

Pein was the first to break out of his stupor and managed to say one thing to the rest of his friends before bolting into the woods himself; and that was the simple word, "Scatter." The rest quickly followed his lead bolting in different directions eager for freedom and the prospect of a new life and they quickly shredded through the trees and brush hoping that they would last until morning.

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Hyrulehalfbreed: Well I hope that you all enjoyed this story and are looking forward to the next few chapters ^_^ **Well please review and be KIND!**


	2. The Chase

Hyrulehalfbreed: Alright next chapter and once again I do not own Naruto! Also everyone I have something exciting to tell you all...I'm going to an anime convention in a few days!! I'll be dressed up as Chie Satonaka from Persona 4 and probably another day I'll be Hinata Hyuuga; I'm trying to put together a lolita costume.... but that's not going to well ^_^". Okay now on to the story!

"Talking"

_'Thinking'_

**"Dark side of Zetsu"**

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As soon as the brats disappeared from view, Kakuzu walked straight to Madara, anger palpable all around his body as he spoke, "Just what the HELL was that about!?" The leader of the Akatsuki just looked at him, cockily smirking while observing similar questioning looks from the other members. "I'm just interested in testing these kids. I'm sure you have all noticed the fact that they're not exactly 'normal'..." The eldest Uchiha smiled once again while looking directly at Kakuzu speaking once again in a voice that was practically dripping in obvious amusement as he quickly tossed a chakra collar and chain to each member, "It's your choice to go after them now and... I would hurry if I were you." And with another mocking smile he disappeared from the missing-ninjas' view.

The stitched together man sighed, unwilling to stress over his leader's odd habits knowing that the years of subsequent therapy was NOT a price he was willing to pay. So releasing another huffing breath he looked back at the rest of his companions, who looked just as shocked at their leader's actions as himself, "You better catch the god damned brats! They cost too much money to waste!!" And no sooner had he said those words, all the members of the Akatsuki, excluding their already gone leader, disappeared leaving the clearing deserted once again.

**XXX With Hidan XXX  
**

Hidan quickly shed the shirt he was wearing as he continued to race through the underbrush, inwardly relishing at the feeling of finally being able to breath without the tight fabric constricting around his body with every breath he took like before. The silver haired teenager hissed softly though as he felt the branch of a thorn bush plunge deeply into the flesh of his arm as he pushed the low hanging limb away from his face, yet as he gazed at the blood dripping from his arm he grinned. He was after all, a Jashinist, meaning he loved the feeling of pain racking through his body and causing a strange, over powering pleasure to roll over him as the albino kept pushing onward, though inwardly he started to wonder about how the others must be fairing, but as much as he hated to admit it, it seemed that he was only thinking about this to keep his mind off the possibility that he himself might be caught and once again enslaved.

Suddenly the boy brought his feet to a halt as he craned his neck backwards to look up the large tree in front of him... before finally a smirk spread across his face and as quick as he could he moved his limber body to scale the huge behemoth of a plant, until he found a spot on a branch that was both wide enough and strong enough to hold his weight.

And while being relatively hidden by the foliage around him, Hidan started to plan an offensive and defensive strategy; but the straight forward male was never good at planning tactics so he quickly ripped off a large branch and using a rock that got embedded in his foot during his run he sharpened it to a point. _'No matter what I'm going to be ready for that mask wearing freak.'_ He thought to himself while carefully positioning his body so he could peak around the other side of the trunk to see the place he thought the "heathen" was going to come from.

Kakuzu was easily able to catch up to his "chosen one", though he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in amusement at the makeshift weapon in the platinum haired brat's grasp. Did the kid really think that he would be able to harm 'him'? Well it was time to find out as he quickly suppressed his chakra and crept behind the kid, being careful to put enough chakra in his feet to avoid moving the branch they were both standing on. When the seconds passed and 'Hidan' still didn't seem to notice him, the money-loving man decided that play-time was over. So grabbing the collar with one of his treads that emerged from the stitches in his arm though hidden from view by the cloak's long sleeves, he made them slither to the branch above the kid... and a second later they shot downward, wrapping around Hidan's torso and tying the suppressor tightly around the pale column that was the brat's neck, never once releasing his own almost crushing grasp on the kid's upper body causing the stick to be squeezed out of his grasp and fall uselessly to the ground and out of reach.**  
**

The silver haired boy gasped trying to breath and desperately he fought to get the strings away from his body though he was failing horribly. Finally he spoke out in slight panic, though mostly it was out of pure rage as he screamed out at the top of his lungs and right into the face of the Akatsuki member before him, "You mother fucking son of a bitch! Get these things the hell off me you bastard!"

Kakuzu looked unblinkingly at the boy, certainly unamused at the brat's newly discovered, OVERLY dirty mouth. Kakuzu was already regretting his decision, however, a sudden glint caught the money-obsessed man's attention. A long necklace gracing the smooth pale chest of the kid; the long chain ending in a small amulet of sorts: an upside down triangle inside a circle. He knew he should recognize the charm, but he was too interested in the clear shimmer of the trinket. It was silver, that much was obvious. So, with a hidden smile, the stitched man jumped down from the tree, dragging the still cursing Hidan with him, and walked slowly towards the relentless boy. Yet as soon as he was within touching distance, he couldn't help but smirk at the sight of the albino receding in his movements, warily watching him for his next move. Less than a heartbeat later, deep purple eyes widened in shock, a sudden rage becoming prominent in his being, for the bigger man, who was SO obviously smirking under his mask, was tightly grasping the silver chain in his hand, pulling it down enough to slightly burn the skin of Hidan's nape.

Hidan was annoyed; first he was attacked from behind, bound, and then dragged off the branch to land on the ground below with a painful thump and NOW the man was holding onto one of the very few things he considered precious to him! There was no way that he was going to let the other take that necklace, no absolute way in hell and to prove that point his mouth was off once again, "Get your filthy heathen hands off that you bastard. Jashin lend this humble servant your strength." The albino whispered the last part as he suddenly pulled at the treads snapping them in two as he leaped at Kakuzu knocking them both off their feet to roll on the ground in the form of a mad scramble as Hidan wrestled to get the other's hands off of the silver necklace.

Kakuzu was surprised, even if his expression didn't show so. It had been a while since anyone was able to break free from his strings with only their bare hands as a tool; and as unwilling as he was to do so, he found himself silently respecting the struggling youth. However he wasn't a member of Akatsuki for no reason, and with a small burst of chakra he turned their positions, slamming the now identified jashinist's face into the ground and pressing his massive body onto the the thin frame under him, disabling any kind of movement from his captive. _'Just my luck to pick a Jashinist, damn it. I hate these people!'_ Kakuzu thought eyes narrowing at the teenager underneath him as he used one of his hands to rip the religious symbol away from the other's neck. **  
**

Hidan gasped as he tried his hardest to squirm away, but found movement impossible as the much larger weight pressed down on him, but besides that he could FEEL his chakra starting to be sealed off by that damned necklace. Biting his lip so hard that it bled the teen knew that he had lost; but now he had a new goal, make this guy's life a living hell before Jashin reaped the poor bastard's that thought the albino smirked into the dirt as his body slowly stopped its vain attempts to escape.

As soon as the brat stopped moving, Kakuzu stood up, confident that the suppressor was doing its job. Then grabbing onto the dangling chain attached to the collar he gave it a rough tug, a clear order to follow; the masked man couldn't help but smirk though as the grounded boy gave a loud growl in response before slowly getting up as well. Though the smirk quickly disappeared to be replaced by an annoyed grimace as the albino didn't stop cussing softly to himself as the chain forced him to follow the other to who knows where. But even with this obvious displeasure between both parties they were able to travel like this for several minutes in a somewhat peaceful manner until Hidan finally asked in obvious annoyance, "Hey heathen, what's your name?"

Kakuzu didn't even bothered to glance back at the grumbling brat, preferring to toy with him a little more by continuing to walk through the forest without saying a word, but after some minutes and a varied arrange of colorful curses later the older man parted his lips beneath the cloth-mask to allow one word to pass through them, "Kakuzu." And with that said he went back to being quiet once again, ignoring the fact that it was the first time that Hidan had heard his voice when the stitched together man wasn't screeching or "loudly voicing his opinions".

Hidan frowned slightly at the name and said it softly to himself as if to see how it tasted on his lips, but soon he was back to muttering soft curses when he realized that he STILL didn't get his necklace back and biting into his already bleeding lip he silently wondered if he ever would. The albino looked down at that thought and his pace slowly slightly though the chain kept him from falling too far behind. Looking up slowly the purple eyes scanned over Kakuzu, inwardly wondering why he covered himself up in such a way, but decided against asking that particular question to ask a different one as he crossed his arms in front of his still uncovered chest, "So are you going to keep me as a fuck toy and can I have my damn necklace back?!"

Kakuzu found himself at a loss at such blunt questions, momentarily stopping in his tracks to shake his head, wondering yet again just WHY he had chosen the albino. He recovered soon after, though, and continued walking without even bothering to turn around and looking at his new "possession". However, after some steps into their way, he threw something behind his shoulder, catching the jashinist off guard as said object bounced off his chest and fell to the ground... it was the necklace. "It has no value to me." Was the only explanation Hidan would get for the rest of the walk.

The teen in question quickly snatched the necklace off the ground before following, too absorbed in polishing the item to realize that the other hadn't answered his first question. "Damn heathen dropping it in the fucking mud... Wait mud?" Hidan's expression turned to one of shock before stopping in his tracks to look up at the sky and indeed it was raining and the purple eyed boy smiled lightly as he whispered to himself in obvious amusement, "You fucking cheater."

**XXX With Pein XXX**

The orange haired boy started to do hand signs the moment he was out of the renowned Akatsuki's sight and as the last sign was formed storm clouds started to thicken in the sky, covering the entire forest in only a few seconds before letting loose a stream of refreshing drops of water that washed over the woods as well as the boy that had summoned it. Pein smiled at the feeling of the water, it was only now that he could completely relax and let the emotions raging underneath his mask to be revealed to the entire world; he grinned at the fact that he could feel both the chakra in his body and the familiar rain in his control once again. But the rain also allowed him to sense the chakra sources of his friends and he almost immediately grimaced as he realized that Hidan seemed to be on the verge of being caught. With that knowledge in mind the teen started to move through the forest once again, his emotionless mask back in place.

Madara moved swiftly through the thick forest, enjoying the sweet taste on his tongue that was the hunt in the air. Without even a thought his body dissolving into nothing, just to reappear some meters ahead. He was having fun damn it! However, his mirth dissolved almost as fast as his body did when rain started to come down; practically at the same time that his new slave's chakra became slightly more tangible and, thus, making it easier for him to pinpoint the kid's location. Just what kind of power did this one have? A second later, Madara appeared upon a tree, propped against the sturdy trunk and watching with no little amount of enjoyment at the orange head teenager's moves, "That is an interest technique you have there," 'Pein...'"

As soon as the man's voice reached his ears Pein's eyes instinctively turned into many rings once again as he looked towards the other and not saying a word in response he bolted into the underbrush. Easily hiding his chakra and using the rain to figure out when and where the older male would appear next; which gave him the power of knowing exactly when to turn, roll, and dodge away from the hands that tried to quail his escape attempts.

Madara kept on smirking, greatly amused by the fact that the kid seemed to have luck on his side as he continued to elude his grasp. It had been a while since he had had so much fun. However, once the minutes started to pass by, and all the eldest Uchiha had been able to accomplish was a wisp of contact in one of his attempts at catching the teen, his good mood started to diminish. His body dissolved, reappearing behind Pein with outstretched arms, fingers grazing bare shoulders for a second before the orange head moved away... This wasn't just luck. The smirk left his face and a frown started to be outlined on his forehead; he wasn't amused anymore. He didn't even bother to dissolve again, his body remaining static in the same place, his dark eyes fixed on the heaving teen some peaces away.

Pein was breathing heavily, he didn't think that it would take so much out of him to just avoid someone and though he hated to admit it, he knew that if he hadn't been able to use the rain then he would have been caught long ago by the Akatsuki leader. And it was that thought alone that caused the droplets to come down harder, showing his displeasure at this little game that seemed to be developing. But by the expression the black haired man had on his face, he knew that he must be tiring of the game as well. Biting his lip in frustration the boy pushed his rain soaked hair away from his forehead as he watched the man standing just few yards away from him; both waiting for the other's next move. Yet it was at that moment that the feeling of yet another one of his friend's chakra being sealed off causing him to narrow his eyes even more and turn his head slightly to the side where the disturbance had come from.

Madara continued watching Pein closely, feeling the rain come down even more 'violently', if possible, upon them. He needed the right moment to act and get this chase over with; he REALLY couldn't wait to see just how far this boy's power went. So it was with a blink of an eye and a slight shift in Pein's body later, that the Akatsuki's leader was on the boy, easily wrapping a strong arm around the other's waist and trapping his thin arms to his sides, then in the same motion he quickly fastened the chakra suppressing collar around the teen's throat.

Pein was forced to hold in his yelp of surprise; after all it would be a shock to anyone to have someone appear RIGHT behind you and though he knew that his efforts might as well be futile he started to struggle, after all, he knew that this was the fight that was to decide whether or not he would ever have a free life. But at the feeling of the collar going around his neck, the boy stopped his struggles; he had lost, and now all he could do was fall into despair as the clouds above them cleared to reveal that the morning was almost upon them. _'If I had just lasted a few more minutes I would have been "home" free.' _Pein thought to himself bitterly as he shook his head with a small sigh; flinging the water out of his hair and not really realizing or caring that some of the water hit Madara in the face.

Madara raised an ebony eyebrow, mildly surprised by the relatively quick acceptance of the teen for his loss, but he didn't think much more of it as he released Pein to wipe away the water that had collected on his face from the other's while never taking his eyes from the hunched over form of the kid, he pulled on the chain, hard enough to be felt, but not so much as to hurt Pein.

"Come on kid; time to leave." Was the only thing he said before he started walking, knowing they were relatively close to the base. After a few silent minutes passed between them, the Akatsuki leader shifted his gaze backwards, catching the orange head's expression. Softly smirking and directing his eyes once again up front he said in a lively voice that most wouldn't peg the leader of such an organization to have, "Don't brood kiddo; it isn't as bad as you seem to think it is."

Pein's eyes narrowed in response and spoke simply, "That's very easy for you to say, but if our roles were reversed, what would you think?" The teen's anger was obvious though he was starting to slip on his emotionless mask once again and with a soft sigh he felt the last of his friends' chakra being sealed away after practically walking right up to one of the Akatsuki members.

Madara smirked, amused once again by the boy's quick, yet apparently hidden, temper. "It doesn't matter Pein. Things are as they are, no point in moping over the 'What ifs'. Though look at the bright side; all your friends will be there." Finishing his last sentence while looking straight at the teen was an obvious display of bragging and even if such childish antics were beyond him... The Akatsuki leader decided right then and there that THIS would be his outlet; picking on Pein was going to relieve some years off his back! And before the steaming teen could say anything, the black haired man spoke once again before reaching a new clearing that would have most likely been bypassed in normal circumstances._'But then again, I suppose that the Akatsuki is NOT normal circumstances, now is it?,'_ the man thought to himself with a wide smirk plastered across his face once again as he spoke to the boy, "The name's Madara by the way."

Pein didn't say anything about the name in fact the orange haired teen seemed to be determined to never talk again by the way things were progressing. After knowing the man for only a few short hours he already knew how to press his buttons in just the right ways and then tease him with the fact that he couldn't retaliate. Hiding his silent snarl the boy looked at the new surrounds that "Madara" had brought him to.

**XXX With Deidara XXX**

The blond boy ran as fast as his legs could carry him, sure the man from before SEEMED nice for getting him out of that hell hole, but that was the key thing; almost every person appeared nice, but had a demon inside them, ready and more than a little willing to attack you. With those thoughts clouding his mind Deidara didn't even notice that he had reached a riverbank until he tripped over the edge; sending him head over heels to land on his ass in the freezing, ankle deep water. "SH-Shit!" Deidara gasped out as the rain also started to pound onto his body causing chills to run up and down his spine, but it was the sheets of rain that cleared away the mud that made up the bank, showing that there was a large amount of clay embedded into it.

Eyes widening the boy clawed at the bank until he had enough of the stuff to be used for his creations and while running through the shallow water the boy started to make his signature weapons after his mouth-palms spat out the clay to be pinched and pressed. Finally the boy had a spider, a centipede, and a bird. Deidara immediately sent the bird into the air hoping that this would at least give him a warning as to if the man was actually on his trail or not.

Sasori was running through the forest; the thick skin of his puppet protecting him from the sudden rain as he kept on following the fast movements of the blond, his untamed chakra leaving a very visible trail for the puppeteer to follow. A couple of times he wondered if it was worth it; chasing the kid that is, wasn't he complaining some hours ago about how he didn't want anything to do with a slave? ...However, it wasn't like that anymore. He refused to be denied his prey and was also pretty certain that the others wouldn't let him live it down if he came back to the base empty-handed. So, deep in thoughts as he was, he was surprised by what seemed to be a bird blowing up in front of his face.

Deidara had sensed the bird finding the other man and was truly startled by the fact that he was so close, but wasting no time the boy brought his hands in front of him as he continued to race through the surrounding water. Then without a thought he willed the centipede that was coiled around one of his arms to leap off the limb to race towards the man and then attach to the ground below the Akatsuki member. Once in position the blond smirked and said to his shaking hands that moved into that hand sign required, "Katsu!"

Sasori jumped back, startled by both the power behind the explosions and the chakra that was present in the air. The kid WAS powerful after all. However, the red head wasn't deterred by this, and swiftly jumping upwards, he landed safely some yards closer to the still running blond, and pumping more chakra through the puppet's legs, he sped up, catching up with Deidara in a matter of seconds. The boy in question quickly took in the sight of the man being right on his heels and panicking he did the one thing that he could come up with on the spur of the moment as he threw the clay spider at the bulk that was the man and seeing it attached to the other's face he let out a wild whoop as he formed the sign once again yelling, "Katsu!"

The puppeteer saw the creature being thrown at him, and now being prepared for what to expect, he got out of Hiruko letting the bomb explode on its face. He wouldn't normally do so, but he was tired of this chasing game and regardless of how much easier it would be to do so, he couldn't harm the kid. So moving with a speed only reachable with large amounts of chakra, he passed the still cheering blond, stopping some feet in front of him and maintaining his rigid posture when the kid crashed into his chest.

Deidara yelped as he smacked into the hard surface that was an unexpected torso; the impact causing the boy to lose his footing and fall back into the river, once again landing on his ass in the chilly water as he looked up with wide eyes at the person in front of him. Short, wild, red hair perched atop a pale skinned face that held a pair of muddy red eyes, yet the proud emotionless face was placed on a frame that made him seem younger than what the blond expected a member of such a terrifying organization to be. Still, the power coming from this new male said that this was the same man from before and as if to verify that frightening fact the blond took in the sight of the adorned Akatsuki cloak, not unlike the one of the now identified puppet was still clothed with. With this information laid out before him Deidara could only gaze at the seemingly perfect looking male in absolute terror.

Sasori cocked his head to the side, cold eyes never releasing the very wide one of the blond. The puppeteer reached down, stopping only momentarily when the kid gasped and flinched in fright, closing his eyes as if that would make the situation any less real. His fingers then grazed the soft flesh of the teenager's neck, and in a blink, the collar was around the pale column. "Come," was the only thing the red head said before pulling the child once again to his feet and started walking towards his discarded, damaged puppet.

Deidara whimpered softly to himself, his cheerfulness gone in a flash as he started to follow the other, his heart even started to hurt slightly at the fact that the freedom he had was once again gone and really he wondered if life with this man and the rest of the group of missing ninja would be better or worse than back at THAT place. There was another thought on the blond's mind though and that was the fact that he was cold and soaked to the very bone causing his teeth to chatter whenever a breeze blew over the two.

As they kept on walking, Sasori couldn't help but glance momentarily behind himself, painfully aware of his little companion's exuding feelings and also the state that his body was in. He returned his head to the road ahead though, trying to convince himself NOT to think too much about the brat. However, his resolved crumbled at the first muffled whimper and the soft chorus of chattering teeth;sighing at the fact that he was loosing his cool over such a menial thing he stopped in the middle of the path and ignoring the confused expression on the brat's face he pulled the Akatsuki cloak off of the broken puppet before handing said cloth to the blond, who eagerly wrapped himself in the HUGE mess of fabric, effectively guarding him from the cold and letting warmth to once again spread throughout his frame. Sasori then began to walk again making sure that the enormous bulk that was Hiruko remained securely between them both, pressed against his back as he carried it over his shoulders, "You are very talented with the clay."

Deidara, who seemed to be in a cozy, sleepy state by the sheer warmth and comfort that the cloak brought to his chilled body, looked up at the other in surprise before his face turned into a slight pout as he said simply, "The village didn't think so after I blew up half the shopping district, un." The blond giggled at the memory before his expression turn solemn as he remembered the village had sold him off after that little "accident".

Sasori could feel the skin around his mouth tightening, though he quickly controlled the impulse... At least the brat wouldn't burst into tears... for now. The red head continued walking; always mindful of the presence behind him. Just what did Madara expect him to do with the brat? He shook his head trying rid away the maddening thoughts. It would do him no good to question their leader's sanity. So taking a deep breath the puppeteer decided to try to keep the blond boy from crying, at least until he could leave him inside one of the many rooms at their base. He opened his mouth again, inwardly surprised at the amount of talking he was accomplishing in these last few minutes, "Tell me about your power."

The blond sighed softly, but a smile formed on his face as he explained quickly, "It's a kekki genki that no one else in my family or probably the world has, un. My mouths chew the clay and mix it with my chakra to make it explosive, which is then modeled and brought to life with a jutsu. Then bang, yeah!" The visible blue eye was practically shinning with happiness at the feeling of being different and the fact that he could use his abilities to do the thing he loved most; and that was blowing shit up!

The pull at his lips was becoming tighter, but Sasori ignored it in favor of analyzing the information that the kid had revealed. Blowing things up, not really his kind of thing, but he DID admit, at least to himself, that it was impressive and a beautiful way to recreate the world. A 'bang' and a new wold before your eyes; still not as sublime as the blood dripping from a puppet's fingers, but oh well not everyone had his great view for art. But still the brat, no, Deidara... he had potential; and if there was one thing that could stir something in Sasori, it was potential. Potential that he could mold into perfection. So, with a lighter tone in his voice, though barely detectable, he spoke again, "So you like modeling with clay?"

Deidara quickly nodded his head though, at the sight of the other still not turning to look at him, he spoke so the man would know his answer, "Yes un, Mr. umm..."

Sasori sighed, softly mind you, but still sighed. He wasn't supposed to keep finding interesting traits about this kid. However, and unable to stop himself, he spoke again, "Maybe I can find some clay for you when we reach the base."He kept quiet then, trying in vain to freeze his strangely raging emotions... he wasn't supposed to feel emotions damn it! Taking some deep breathes the red head managed to calm down, glad that his careless moment had come to pass; though probably no one would have been able to detect his inner turmoil had they been spying on him. And without slowing his continuous march his shoulders began to relax once again; they were close to the base now. Suddenly remembering the kid's hesitation, Sasori wondered if it was worth the effort answering him, sighing he decided that it was favorable over the fact that the brat might give him a nick name, he separated his lips, voice as cold and emotionless as always, "I am Sasori."

Deidara smiled at the thought of getting his hands on some clay that was of actual quality, but his eyes widened at the name the other had. Though slowly, but surely, a smirk spread across his face as he said teasingly, "Your name means scorpion, un! Is that why you made that puppet have a tail?" The blond was snickering obviously thinking that it all was VERY funny.

Sasori stopped abruptly, though it was only for a second as he started walking again a moment later. With his hand still grasping the puppet, his head turned slightly backwards, locking one dark eye with the bright blue one of the littler one, his gaze as impassive as always, "What was that...? Mud-boy?"

Deidara's expression turned infuriated and he looked like he was about to throw a tantrum at the name calling game, but seemed to think better of it at the last second. After all, this guy now OWNED him he could do whatever he wished and obviously Deidara couldn't run away, the blond grimaced as he felt the large bruise on his ass from where he fell on it after running into the red headed man. Finally the blue eye looked away though the pout didn't leave his face as he gazed at the mountain they were now standing in front of.

Sasori stopped once they were in front of the hidden entrance, and with a furtive glance at the still pouting Deidara, he softly muttered, "Home, sweet home..."

**XXX With the Uchiha Siblings XXX**

Itachi was racing through the trees being careful to step lightly on the branches to try and not leave a trail, but at the same time he was making sure that Sasuke copied his movements. Even if it was unnecessary since the younger copied the other's moves without question knowing that his brother had been in more situations like this than him. The elder Uchiha was inwardly battling the ideas that came into his head, trying to pick out the best one for both him and Sasuke though really he would rather screw himself and only insure the safety of his little brother, but he also knew that if he did that then Sasuke would never forgive him.

Finally Itachi reached a decision and just in time, as the two males ran out of trees to move through and were forced to jump into the middle of a large clearing. "Sasuke, I know you want me to go with you, but you must promise me this... If it looks like that I'm going to be caught I want you to run. Got it?" The boy in question bit his lip, but slowly nodded his head in understanding, though for now he didn't move away from his brother's side.

Kisame was surprised; pleasantly so, and the wide smirk across his face showed that fact. He had chosen well... This Itachi kid was good; there was training behind his actions, and an enormous potential under his eyes. If Kisame weren't under strict and honor-bound orders to capture the kid, he'd probably exploit the chase to the very end. However he didn't have time in his favor, and sensing the abrupt stop of his prey, he doubled his speed. _'The brat better not ruin my fun...' _He thought while nearing the clearing where the Uchihas were.

But at the same time he cast his gaze backwards; it wasn't like he didn't trust Naruto, who was stealthily moving some paces behind him, but ever since the blue man had woken up with a tuff of ORANGE hair instead of his perfectly azure locks, he had taken to being weary around the fox-like mischief maker. However, losing all thought about his blond teammate, he readied the attack. And as any shark would, he burst through the wall of trees, eyes wide and mouth showing the sharp rows of teeth, of course, the attack would have been fully appreciated ...Had it not been for the ball of fire that struck Kisame full on in mid air.

The shark's prey raised an eyebrow slightly at the fact that the Akatsuki member had run straight into his attack, was the other really so stupid as to not look before he leaped? The long haired boy didn't think anymore of the idea as he took the offered stick from Sasuke and readied for the shark man's next move. After all Itachi was an ANBU before he was forced into slavery and he knew how to fight to the best ability his body's malnutrition would allow.

Kisame remained motionless on the ground, owlishly looking at the sky above him which seemed to be about to begin clearing. The brat was good and so, with said thought in mind, a painfully wide smirk crossed his face, and with speed that seemed impossible for someone his size, he swiftly moved in front of the black haired kid. Quickly grabbing the stick with which the other was apparently planning to attack him with he said with that same smirk on his face, "You're good kiddo! ...'m glad..." A fast movement of his wrist later, and the stick flew out of the pale teen's hand.

Itachi's eyes narrowed in response and quickly flipped backwards out of the reaching distance of the blue skinned male and Sasuke also backed up taking in the glance that his brother had sent him that clearly said that he was not to get involved. The older Uchiha then turned his head towards Kisame once again and knew that he did not have time on his side, after all, this man was obviously not going to just wait for him to make another move. And because of this the boy's hands started to fly through different seals and quickly activated a genjutsu that would hopefully make the other think he was fighting him but was really only being hit by air.

The ex-mist shinobi watched the moving hands attentively, trying to discern the upcoming attack. A wave of fire came his way and he, surprised again by the attack, evaded by jumping to the side. Wave after wave of intense heat was attacking him from every direction, and the ex-mist ninja kept on frowning with every millisecond wasted. Something was amiss... the hand signs the Itachi kid did before were definitely NOT a fire summoning jutsu. When one of the fire balls almost grazed his arm he figured it out. Genjutsu. And a fucking powerful one, he should know. After all, Madara-sama DID make sure all of them were well trained in every possible way. So Kisame, being the subtle ninja he was, whipped out Samehada from behind his back and swirling it over his head was easily able to detect Itachi's chakra... and absorbing it into the humongous sword, finishing the the genjutsu not three seconds after it was activated.

Itachi jumped back in shock having the massive blade miss him by only a millimeter and the eldest of the Uchiha siblings ground his teeth in frustration, the blue skinned male was smarter than he had thought to figure out his genjutsu and in such little time as well! But he guessed that he shouldn't have expected less from a member of the Akatsuki. Suddenly Itachi weaved on his feet, what the hell was going on? He felt like he was losing more and more strength... more and more chakra!

Kisame smirked as soon as the genjutsu was dispelled, and instantly his eyes were locked with those of the Uchiha who was now visibly struggling to maintain his balance. The blue man's smirk diminished slightly and concentrating on his hands he willed the sword to pull more chakra from the teen, ready to finish the fight as soon as possible. He then watched with soft eyes as the boy fell to his knees, the fight in his eyes visible for all to see. This boy, Itachi, was definitely good.

The teen in question was trying desperately to catch his breath and force himself to get back off the ground and onto his feet, but it was useless. Still even though Itachi knew that he was defeated, it DIDN'T mean that he was just about to break down and give up completely and it was with that sheer Uchiha stubbornness and pride that made him turn to look at Sasuke who had an expression of pure and utter panic on his face. Yet as the younger started to try and move closer to help his fallen aniki, Itachi just weakly shook his head in response as he said in an emotionless voice as always, "Get out of here Otouto, I'm a wash out without my chakra so get the hell out of here while you can."

Sasuke glared at his brother, his own face becoming stony as well as he growled out while turning quickly on his heel and bolting into the woods; his final, departing words were easily heard in the sudden silence in the clearing, "Stupid Aniki."

Kisame spared a glance to the retreating child, having no doubt in his mind of the kid's outcome... After all, he could already sense Naruto's chakra not too far away from where the young boy was running to. Centering his eyes once more on Itachi he started to walk closer to the kneeling teen, Samehada always between them. He had seen the kid acting and he sure as hell wouldn't let his guard down before putting the damn collar on the Uchiha. As soon as he stopped in front of Itachi, he had to evade a last attempt made by the kneeling one, the kid still hadn't given up! However, Kisame was tired of games, and the clearing sky told him he had no time to waste. So moving swiftly behind Itachi, he fastened the suppressor on the pale neck in front of him, quickly catching the teen as he fell backwards. The combined chakra loss from Samehada and the collar had taken their toll.

Itachi had silently grimaced as his kick was blocked by the sword and had even cut his foot slightly before the shark drew it away so it didn't do more damage to the teenager's foot. Yet Itachi's frustration was about to sky rocket when he felt the other reach around his neck and fasten the collar when he was focused on the sword and his injury. But the teen wasn't able to think more on it was he fell backwards into those thick arms of the other, and slowly now onyx colored eyes stared up at the strange ones of the other wondering what he was planning to do with him, yet also wondering if his brother even had a chance to escape.

Kisame's pale gold eyes locked with the dark ones of his new charge; he refused to call him a slave, especially after the good fight he delivered in his state! And he couldn't help but let some concern be shown when he felt how skinny the teen really was. He swore to himself then and there that he would take care of this one. Someone with such a fighting spirit and honor deserved so much more. So directing a warm yet sharp teeth filled smile to the weakened boy, he stood up from his crouching stance, Itachi's body securely held within the warmth of the other's arms. "Don't worry Itachi-san, everything will be alright now. The name's Kisame by the way." And giving another cheerful smile, he started his way to the base.

Itachi frowned slightly, but soon he felt consciousness slipping away from him and his head fell against the other's chest as he was forced asleep from chakra loss and exhaustion.

**XXX With Naruto XXX**

Naruto had followed Kisame through most of the chase, hiding his chakra under the flowing one of his partner. He couldn't wait to find the little raven. Damn, the need to protect him was choking him, and he still hadn't recovered from his sudden fury at the thought of Orochimaru laying his hands on the pale boy that was surprisingly his age, though after living with people like the Akatsuki for so long a part of his mind was transforming to think like them espically during a man hunt like this where pride and lives were on the line.

_'Sasuke that's his name...'_ his mind provided and as soon as he saw the blue man jumping out of the cover of the trees he winced at the unexpectedly powerful fire ball that hit the man dead on; however he wouldn't dwell on it, knowing Blue would get the job done. So going still through the trees, he went around the clearing, appearing just some feet behind his prey. The other boy was too into the fight unfolding in front of him to notice the blond some feet away, and the blond, being the predator he was, decided to wait for the right time to pounce.

Sasuke quickly raced through the thick brush knowing that the trees around him were too weak to support his weight if he took to the branches, biting the inside of his cheek so hard that it almost started to bleed he worried about what was going to happen to his brother and silently wondered if it was better for him to be caught as well and be with him or to try and keep running like Itachi told him to.

Naruto watched Sasuke start to run deeper and deeper into the forest, and with a burst of chakra he made sure to move right into the path of the running raven. Now having his body in the right place Naruto started to count back silently in his head, _'Five, four, three, two, one. Uff!' _The blond couldn't help but let out a soft grunt as the smaller and unsuspecting male crashed headlong into the blond's chest.

This action caused Sasuke to let out a shocked gasp as the impact forced the air to come rushing out of his lungs as he fell backwards onto the ground to see a flurry of stars pass before his eyes. But quite amazingly the youngest Uchiha managed to shake it off and he quickly rolled back onto his feet to stare the blond down, yet it was this action that allowed him to see his features in the clear light for the first time. The other male had short spiked hair, three whisker-like scars on each cheek, tanned skin, bright laughing blue eyes, was at least 5 inches taller than him though they looked really close in age, and the last thing about the other that really seemed to piss off Sasuke was the stupid smirk on his face that seemed to say he was better than him! NO ONE did that to an Uchiha and Sasuke quickly activated his Sharingan and moved his hands into position for the grand fire ball jutsu.

Naruto's smirk was quickly whipped off his face the moment he saw the fast movements of the other's hand, and the even faster fire ball thrown at him from such a close distance. Using a big surge of chakra once more, he moved out of the way and with frowning eyes he stared at the small portion of his sleeve that had been burned before finally turning to yell at the other, "What the hell was that for you bastard?!"

Sasuke actually stopped for a moment before looking even more pissed off than before as he shouted right back while backing up slightly to put more distance between them, "Who are you calling a bastard?! If anyone's the BASTARD then it's you and the rest of your damn Akatsuki!" The raven was enraged what gave the blond the right to be angry? After all it was Sasuke and his friends that were the ones being hunted down like animals and thought of as mere possessions! Did this guy really think that he was simply going to come quietly? Hell no, that was not Sasuke and without a thought the new name the Uchiha had made because of the other's obvious lack of intelligence slipped out of his mouth, "Dobe."

Naruto bristled, VISIBLY bristled. His body was turned into a big mass of twitching: his fingers were twitching, his arms were twitching, his legs were as well, and BOTH his eyes were suffering from MASSIVE twitchingness each. "Dobe.... dobe?.... DOBE?!?! WHO THE HELL YOU CALLING A DOBE YOU TEME!!" And without further much ado, Naruto pounced, literally, on the littler raven haired boy, tackling him to the ground and starting a rather vicious fist fight.

The Uchiha snarled right back at the other and swung his fist to smack the blond across the face as he simultaneously swung his right leg up to deliver a rather harsh kick to the other's stomach which forced the blond to roll off him as he held his gut. The raven quickly jumped back onto his feet waiting for the other's next move, a confident smirk on his face as the taunted the other more, completely forgetting that this was supposed to be his new owner and not a random sparring partner like back in the village, "What's the matter dobe? Can't take a little pain... You really are a loser."

Naruto's eyes flashed red as he jumped on the raven once more, a wide smirk starting to spread across his face. He was having fun... damn it, he was really having fun! Every punch delivered, every true kick, it all summed up to a big grand burst of adrenaline in his body that he hadn't felt in AGES. _'I'm really going to enjoy spending time with this Sasuke-teme!!'_ The blond thought while dodging a kick that was aimed for his face.

Yet it was at that moment that he realized exactly how much clearer the sky was becoming; and in turn how much closer the sun was to entering the brightening expanse over the earth. So steeling his resolve and regretting the fact the fact that he would have to cut this spar short, Naruto made a quick sign with his hands and whispered out so softly that it didn't quite reach the other's ears, "Kage-bunshin no jutsu." And not a second after muttering the words, the newly formed clone appeared behind the Uchiha and fastened the collar around his neck.

Sasuke whirled around to punch the clone in the face as soon as he felt the collar go around his neck, and even though the clone disappeared the collar was still on him and the chakra that supported him was starting to diminish as he turned to face the real blond obviously infuriated by the trick. Kami damn it, he should have thought that the other was going to use ninjutsu and not only taijutsu like they were only a few short moments ago. And to say that Sasuke's mood dampened would have been an understatement as his shoulders slumped slightly and he glared at the ground as he clenched and unclenched his hands in anger.

"Hey teme, don't look so sour. I only did it 'cause I didn't have much time. It isn't like I didn't enjoy what we were doing." Naruto muttered while looking at the suddenly depressed boy. He scratched the back of his neck when the other didn't answer, and then offered a weak smile to the raven. "C'mon... it's not THAT bad... it's not like you are to be Orochi-creepy's." The blond boy said while shuddering, once again glad that he had gone ahead and 'chose' before the snake sanin.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and once again his Uchiha arrogance came out as he said simply, "Still why would I want to be anywhere NEAR you dobe? ....What's he going to do to Kabuto?" Sure he knew as a slave he should probably be a lot more obedient or be trying to please the other; but he just couldn't do it. Being cocky, stuck up, and emotionless was the way he naturally dealt with stress and uncomfortable situations such as this, after all if he forced the rest of the world away then he couldn't be harmed, or at least that was what Sasuke had learned from his brother.

Naruto twitched, again, at the dobe comment, though he restrained himself; deciding to lessen the hold over the proud Uchiha a little, "Shut up teme!!" Well maybe not as much as 'little', "And about your glasses friend. Orochimaru is not exactly 'nice' and he can get REALLY creepy sometimes... but don't worry, he's not a rapist." The last part was quickly added when he saw the panic starting to rise in the other's eyes, and though it WAS true, it wasn't the WHOLE truth, but what Sasuke didn't know wouldn't hurt him, right?

The raven just shook his head, obviously lost in thought as he moved to follow the blond though he was really starting to worry about Kabuto, sure the silver haired boy could take care of himself, but still just the thought of the other actually getting raped or something was really frightening and he had seen the lust in the pale skinned man's yellow eyes. The youngest Uchiha shivered, that man, he was someone that he never wanted to see again for the rest of his life. Kabuto, on the other hand, would be trapped with the man and would be forced to satisfy those serpentine eyes and bodily cravings. _'__But then again I think that everyone will most likely be used for sex by their masters. Including Aniki and even... myself if this guy sees fit.' _Sasuke thought to himself sadly, staring at the ground in obvious distaste, anguish, and even a well hidden sense of fear.

Naruto kept on walking, turning his head slightly to watch the sulking boy behind him once in a while. The worry was obviously etched onto the other's features, marring the beautiful face with a rather large frown. So quickly thinking of a way to lighten the mood the blond focused on the invisible road his feet were following and spoke in a loud voice, "Hey asshole, I'm Naruto!"

Sasuke jumped slightly at the sudden shout but said icily back to cover up his surprise, "What? No last name, dobe?" He just couldn't help himself, he had to push the blond's buttons some more and also this was the perfect way to maybe learn a little more about his new so called master. "TEME!!" Naruto rounded angrily to face the other, a vein ticking dangerously on his forehead, "I'm Uzumaki! Teme, Uzumaki Naruto!! And you better remember it!"

"Uzumaki, huh?" Sasuke said softly to himself before giving the other his ever present smirk, "What the hell is your name supposed to mean anyway? A piece of steamed fish-paste cake in a whirlpool?" Naruto was honestly worried about his health... because it seriously couldn't be good to have so many veins ready to burst on his forehead. BUT DAMN IT THAT BASTARD! An arm shot forward, finger extended and pointing at the Uchiha's nose, barely some millimeters separated from said facial contraption, "You.... teme....you...."

Sasuke blinked trying to get his eyes to refocus on the sudden digit right in front of his nose and the Uchiha looked up at the flustered face of the blond and said with a voice laced with fake surprise and obviously mocking tone, "What, did I really find something to say that would shut you up? Fish-paste cake dobe?" Naruto's eyes narrowed, finger still shakily pointing at the Uchiha's nose when a slow smirk started to bloom on his face, "At least I'm not the 'fan'-boy, am I?"

"Maybe, but my family has a high history of prestige and my first name is the name of legendary ninja. Have anything to say to that blonde?" Sasuke said simply as he watched the other with amusement, messing with and pissing off the other was more fun than hiding Itachi's favorite book and then watching him look for it for hours on end.

"So... you're basically a dead man with a fan?" Naruto asked, wandering what was the big deal about having the name of another person when you could make history with your very own name. "My name was given to me by my parents, there's nothing that could be more important than that." The blond finally said as a slight smile formed on his face as he remembered the fond memories he had with his mother and father when he was younger.

Sasuke bit his lip at the mention of parents and slowly his eyes drifted towards the side of the path, for once refusing to meet the other's eyes. Still the raven didn't seem to be able to let himself look weak and muttered out half heatedly, "Do-Dobe."

Naruto looked at the other, a small frown between his eyes. The raven had gone suddenly gloomy again, sighing slightly Naruto moved closer to Sasuke, hooking their arms together by the elbow and walking again, dragging the other one towards the main base. "C'mon, lets hurry up. I bet your brother is already there and that you're dying to see him.."

Sasuke jumped at the sudden contact and dragging motion, but managed to keep his footing as he was forced to walk after the other. His mind busy with the task of wondering just how many of his friends were caught and what waited for them.

**XXX With Orochimaru XXX**

Orochimaru was moving through the forest, jumping from one tree branch to another, tracking a barely there trail of chakra. Apparently Kabuto-kun was good with his chakra and that little fact would be very useful in the future. A wide smirk appeared on his face as his mind started to form plan after plan regarding his new toy. He would need to test just how far the boy's abilities could go, but that would be easy enough and there was a lot of time to test and experiment to his heart's content; but for now he just had to concentrate on catching the bespectacled teen... and THERE he was! The Sannin's tongue slithered out of his mouth, wetting his lips in anticipation at the feeling of the boy's chakra some yards ahead.

Kabuto frowned and his fingers twitched slightly at the feeling of the other's presence nearly upon him. But he managed to relax almost as quickly as the fear spread through him as he closed his eyes without a single thought to make his hands move in a flurry to form the appropriate hand seals that would be needed for his plan. It took only a second for the last sign to be formed and for him to place his finger tips to the ground to make a scroll appear, the very same one he had sealed away the day he was captured. Then with a small smile he summoned a wad of thin wire from the scroll and while still running the teen started to set traps and an alarm system to warn him about the other's approach, before he finally jumped into a nearby tree to wait.

Orochimaru kept on moving, his mind still occupied with plans for the future, when his left foot touched a barely visible wire. Immediately the Sannin moved to the side, watching with impressed eyes the traps being activated in his wake. They were simple, yet amazingly efficient. He had been right, Kabuto-kun had great potential. However, Orochimaru wasn't a Sannin for nothing; and so sidestepping all the remaining traps, yet always amazed by the quality and quantity of them considering the short time they were made in, he continued on, shortening the gap between him and his prey more and more.

The silver haired boy frowned in frustration, the other was still on his tail and sending a quick glance up at the cloudy and raining heavens he wondered how the others were doing knowing that the other members were probably just as good as the sanine that was coming closer and closer to his hiding place. But the glasses wearing boy refused to give up as he jumped down from the tree and back into the woods knowing that the other was getting a little too close for comfort, and it was for that reason that he grabbed a handful of kunai from his scroll.

Now that he knew the boy wasn't as helpless as he had started, Orochimaru's attention was all on the hunt. He could sense that Kabuto was close by, barely moving from his spot and probably readying another trap; thus making the Sanin sharpen his senses to avoid unwanted surprises. So, it was with little effort that the pale skinned male evaded the rain of kunai that were thrown in his direction; moving with chakra boosted speed he went around the line of attack, and stopping directly behind the teen.

Kabuto spun on his heel to face the other before back flipping out of the way though he faltered slightly because his already physically weak body was even worst than usual because of his current condition. His mind, on the other hand, suffered no lessening of sharpness. The teen narrowed his eyes and the glasses covering them glinted in the rain as the water droplets rolled off the smooth surface of as he gazed at Orochimaru and tried to guess his next move as he started to search his mind for the jutsus in his arsenal that would not take a lot of chakra or time in preforming, but all he could do was wait for his feet to touch back onto the ground from being sent into the air by the flip.

Orochimaru smirked, content with the way things were going. Apparently the kid didn't realize where he was going to fall. Good thing the man had summoned that group of snakes beforehand; and so, with pleased eyes Orochimaru watched as the snakes wrapped around the boy, stopping his movements for the time being and REALLY enjoying the look of horror that crossed Kabuto's face at the sight and feeling of the snakes starting to crawl over his body and starting to bind his wrists behind his back and even his feet making the boy fall on his ass when he tried to step back in shock; though the teenager even took it upon himself to lift his legs and roll onto his side to not crush the reptiles.

Orochimaru smiled again, inwardly charmed by the boy's thoughtfulness regarding the snakes. As he walked closer to the struggling teen his eyes moved momentarily to the side, watching the small snake moving closer and closer to Kabuto's neck. This one also had the restrictive collar wrapped tightly around the tip of its tail and was advancing towards the boy's throat. The game was over.

Kabuto flinched at the feeling of the small snake wrapping the suppressor in place and almost instantly he could feel the chakra being sapped away from his body though not before a few of the deeper scratches that were made by his run were healed. The boy then let out a soft defeated sigh as the last of his chakra was sealed away from him once again and the kid's eyes slowly lifted up to stare into the other's wondering what he was going to do, but at the look in his eyes Kabuto started to shift uncomfortably as his legs and arms were still pinned and useless.

Orochimaru's head tilted to the side, amusement growing by the second as he watched the teen squirming under his gaze. His smirk grew in size as well as he took notice of the thin limbs being pinned to the ground, a million of images playing in his mind. However shaking those thoughts away, for the moment, he decided to take some pity on the boy. After all he HAD been through hell and whatnot and he DID deserve some peace and care from his new master... There was more than enough time for the rest. SO, with a final lick to his lips he willed the snakes away, eyes still locked with Kabuto's weary ones.

The boy bit his lip in response as he sat back up from the ground still keeping his eyes on the other, hoping that he wouldn't be raped on the spot though the snake man's eyes said otherwise as he started to follow the dark haired male. Yet it was then that Kabuto finally blinked and a slow smile started to stretch over his face as he thought about this new fact, _'I guess I won't have to worry about being resold any more... If he has enough of an interest in me enough to keep me around that is.'_

Orochimaru started the trip to the base, constantly conscious of he other's presence behind him, and in truth the sanine hated silence and was starting to get a little annoyed by his cute little companion's absence of speaking, hell the boy didn't even let out a growl of protest when he was forced into following him to the Akatsuki's headquarters. Eyes narrowing he decided to end the silence and with a quick glance back towards the other he asked with amusement now thickly coating his voice, "I'm guessing you are already aware of my name, aren't you Kabuto-kun?"

The silver haired boy replied simply, knowing that the other wouldn't know if he nodded or not, "Yes, you are Orochimaru one of the legendary sanine and ex-ninja from Konoha. You left the village on a quest to learn every jutsu possible and was exiled after you where found to have been experimenting on people in the village whether they were civilian or ninja. Am I correct?"

Orochimaru snorted, the corner of his lips twitching slightly upwards as he spoke once again, "You sure know your information Kabuto-kun..." The sanine didn't turn to look at the other male as he heard the small sigh leave him as he gave another short, formal answer, "I read a lot before ending up as a slave." The snake like Akatsuki member nodded at that bit of information, humming slightly to himself as he kept on walking. "So I am guessing you like investigating? And you also seem to have a good disposition to retain the information you need... What else can you do, Kabuto-kun?"

Kabuto raised an eyebrow at the question but answered none the less, "I'm a fast learner and you were already told about my healing abilities, I am sure that I could even regrow a vital organ if I have enough chakra to keep me alive and breathing at the time. In addition, I guess I know a few jutsu and skills in strategy and trap setting like you saw. My only major flaw would be my weakness in the field of Taijutsu and other physical skills." The teen numbered off the items like they were completely natural and not uncommon in other kids his age though it was quiet the opposite and Kabuto seemed to be completely relaxed with that knowledge, maybe even a little too mature for his own good.

Orochimaru chuckled soundly this time, amazed by his own amazing judgmentally skills. The boy was a genius and, the man was sure, with a little training and good care, Kabuto would also be one very loyal slave. With another smile stretching his lips, Orochimaru turned his head slightly to the side, watching the boy from the corner of his eye, "Kabuto-kun... Would you be interested in being my assistant in the Akatsuki's laboratory?"

Kabuto's eye widened slightly before he pushed his glasses further up his nose trying to hide his shock, though really he was nervous, maybe a even little frightened. After all he had heard about the snake man experimenting on humans of all things; but letting out a small sigh the boy slowly nodded his head. He knew that if he managed to learn more and was actually useful to Orochimaru then it couldn't end badly right? Still the thought of working on humans made the his skin crawl and quickly he undid the tie that kept his hair in a pony tail to run a hand through his long locks to calm and relax himself slightly.

Orochimaru's smile widened some more, as impossible as it might seem, as he turned his head back to the road. The boy's discomfort was obvious, but he'd have to grow out of it soon enough, in fact all of the kids would have to if they planned to survive with the Akatsuki. No matter how "normal" and nice they seemed, they were still Akatsuki... killers, fierce, and cold blooded in what they did. The brats would just have to get used to it. They wouldn't survive for long if they didn't. Looking once again back at the bespectacled boy, Orochimaru couldn't help himself as his eyes traced over the long strands of silver hair. No, he hadn't made a mistake with this one...

**XXX With Tobi XXX**

Tobi sat comfortably atop a high tree, mesmerized by the sky as it began to clear up, his only eye shinning with the first rays of sunlight. His expression held no trace of his usual grin, now seemingly a mask of raw amazement and humble respect. He had felt his companions' chakra diminishing one by one. Hidan was the first, which wasn't really strange, considering the jashinist's forward personality. The one eyed Uchiha had long since stopped running, deciding to rest comfortably and see what the circumstances would bring instead.

If at least one of his friends had escaped, he wouldn't be caught either and let them be alone; that much of a good boy Tobi was. Epically if the one escaping was Sasuke-kun; but he and his brother were caught as well. All of them were, and as soon as he realized Kabuto was planning to face the mean snake man head on, the hyper boy knew he was the last free one and THAT wasn't good.

Tobi started to ready himself as soon as he felt the strange man that had purchased him starting to close in on his location. The one eyed Uchiha's muscles stiffened, and all of him became nothing more than a crouching, predatory animal. It was time and no sooner had the plant-man emerged from the ground underneath the tree, the boy pounced...

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Hyrulehalfbreed: Well there you have it.... okay everyone PLEASE REVIEW AND BE KIND; I REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHTA YOU THINK!**  
**


	3. A Slow Transition Part One

Hyrulehalfbreed: Sorry about the fact that I was unable to post for so long, school kind of dominates over all else and I have to keep straight A's. Now then I realized that I forgot to state the ages ^^"; I suppose that it just slipped my mind. I do NOT own Naruto or the wonderful characters!

**Important Notes: **I now know that Pein has long, straight, red hair and such; but these will be a little secret that will play into the story later when more is dragged out into the open about the little guy's past. I AM changing Itachi's and Sasuke's ages to be closer to the rest of the group.

**Another note the slaves are wearing collars and not necklaces;** just in case there is any confusion. 

**I changed a few of the ages just a warning from the previous chapters  
**

Sasuke: 14

Kabuto: 15

Pein: 16

Hidan: 16

Deidara: 16

Itachi: 16

Tobi: 19 (Yes I have made him the oldest in the group)

Akatsuki:

Naruto: 14

Haku: 15

Kisame: 26

Zabuza: 26

Kakuzu, Orochimaru, Sasori, Zetsu, and Madara: All are much older than they look, but they still seem to never change or age. Hmm appear about 28

"Talking"

_'Thinking'_

**Zetsu****'s dark half**_  
_

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Tobi started to ready himself as soon as he felt the strange man that had purchased him starting to close in on his location. The one eyed Uchiha's muscles stiffened, and all of him became nothing more than a crouching, predatory animal. It was time, and no sooner had the plant-man emerged from the ground underneath the tree, the boy pounced... and tackled the the other in an almost bone crushing hug as he shouted out in obvious glee, "MASTER! YOU'VE COME FOR TOBI!"

The plant like man barely managed to keep his footing; but only because his feet were still a few inches under the dirt when he was "attacked" by the one eyed brat. The man took in a slow, deep breath and then blew it out just as slowly as he finally spoke, "Why do you seem to have a mental incompatibility of understanding that I do NOT like being touched?" The ex-grass ninja was beyond annoyed and though he wasn't very fond of the idea of taking the kid in, both sides of him did not want to come back to the base empty handed and be ridiculed by the rest of the Akatsuki... After all, he still hadn't lived down the time that Orochimaru had asked if his dick was two colors as well while the group was eating one night. The dark half of his body's eye couldn't help but twitch at that memory.

Tobi, on the other hand, only made a sound of curiosity, never letting up on his hold around the older man, "Well, Tobi likes touching... So that has to compensate!" Ignoring the growing sounds of discomfort coming from the man under him Tobi looked up, smiling brightly when he saw the sun starting to make an appearance in the sky. "Doesn't Plant Man-sama have to bound Tobi? Because the sun's already up..."

The shinobi in question just sighed in response as a small vine came out of the ground holding the collar and easily maneuvered to place it around the other's neck. On the inside though the Akatsuki member wondered why exactly the boy just hadn't run off and knew it probably had something to do with not wanting to be alone. Already the man could see that the teen THRIVED off of physical affection and socializing with almost everyone he saw. Sighing Zetsu didn't bother trying to shake the other off again as he simply started walking back towards the base.

Tobi kept his gaze locked up ahead, sensing some of his friends already at the point where they were probably going to. "Hey, hey Plant Man-sama..." Each word the one eyed boy spoke was accented by a constant poke against a thin cheek... A cheek belonging to a violently twitching bi-colored face. "What's your name! Because Tobi's name is Tobi Uchiha! Pleased to meet you!"

Thankfully the one eyed boy was poking the white side and not the very ill tempered black side, this resulting in the kinder side simply moving the head that held them both slightly to the side to try to escape the constant taps as both voices spoke quickly with an annoyed tone, "It's Zetsu, and do you really have to touch me every 5 seconds?" **"Annoying brat."**

"Zetsu-sama!" Was the only response given as the hyper boy hugged the man with renewed vigor. As the body under him tensed considerably, Tobi loosened his hold a little, so instead of holding, he was more like 'hanging'. "Hey, Zetsu-sama. What is going to happen to Tobi and his friends?" The voice that came from his mouth was so unlike his own, subdued and lacking expression, but this was important. Tobi couldn't let his friends suffer anymore, he just wouldn't allow that to happen even if it was the very last thing that he did.

Zetsu frowned and his paced fumbled slightly at the sudden change in the boy hanging off him and he explained simply, "You will probably only serve as a compainion for me, someone that I talk to when I come back from missions or bring with me, though I doubt that the last one will happen very often. Madara really is trying to make each member have a "reason" to fight harder and come back in one piece for you could say. He got the idea from another member who has a younger man as his relationship partner and he lives at the base. Ever since that kid came the man fights and wins every battle almost unscathed."

Tobi hummed softly, a frown scrunching his face as his mind worked over the new information before muttering softly his head lowering slightly to hide his face under his short spiky bangs, "So... you people bought us... to be... a naughty safe sex insurance kinda incentive?"

If Zetsu had been any other person in the world at that moment he would have fall flat on his face in surprise from the bluntness of the question that caused a very slight blush creep up the corners of his cheeks though he hid it well. "I have no interest in that part so you have nothing to worry about in the slightly... But as for the other members they will do as they wish though I guess you are pretty much correct on your guess. It is my belief that some of the members won't do that either; unless they become very annoyed perhaps. No one knows for sure at this point in time." Zetsu replied simply turning his head slightly to see the other's expression.

Tobi's usually grinning face was void of expression; his mind swirling with what was being told. So they weren't entirely safe, or as safe as he had expected considering they belonged now to such a dark organization. A small frown scrunched his face, making it seem as if it was a physical impossibility to keep track of his thoughts... A common misconception of those who didn't know him well. The Uchiha might not have been the brightest crayon of the box, but he wasn't an idiot either. He HAD been a ninja in his village before falling into slavery. But this wasn't about the past, but the present and immediate future. He had to worry about his companions, "Tobi's friends will be safe... Won't they? Zetsu-sama..."

Zetsu sighed softly, inwardly he was confused by the strange behavior of the other but pushed it aside as he explained, "We are not allowed to kill any of you, which is a lot safer than if you where with someone who wouldn't mind just killing you when bored and then going to find someone else." The plant man wasn't really sure WHY he was trying to comfort the slave, but something about the kid's behavior and the way he seemed to always be ecstatic to even the smallest thing, made Zetsu think that it should be against the laws of nature for the other to be so unhappy and quiet.

Tobi's face broke into a wide grin, and his previously lax hold around Zetsu became tight once more as he hugged the man with enough force to make his presence be FELT. "Zetsu-sama is a good MAN!... Or men... Tobi's still a little confused with that one."

Thankfully only the dark side of his face's eye twitched as the other seemed to have finally given up on the act of punishing and yelling at the kid to stop hugging him and touching him constantly. Yet the ex-grass nin was also a little happy for the change in the other's mood and the young one no longer seemed to be worried or as serious as he was only a few short moments ago. Also the fact that it seemed that his torture was finally going to end as they drew ever closer to his secretly treasured destination put the shinobi into an even better mood.

Slowly the Uchiha's one bright eye moved away from studying the face and body of his new master to instead look ahead. Now he could see a large clearing laying almost lazily in front of a large imposing mountain, yet at the sight of the people standing outside of what appeared to be a hidden entrance Tobi's heart became lighter with sheer joy.

The bi-colored man that was giving the teenager a piggy back ride, on the other hand, had bit his lip... HARD! To keep himself from chuckling at the sight of Kakuzu's slave stubbornly sitting on the ground and throwing a few small rocks at the mask wearing man whenever he looked away.

Naruto and the youngest brat were glaring at each other and whispering quiet insults, Kisame seemed to be carrying the sleeping form of the last Uchiha slave. Sasori had the blond, who was now wearing the over sized robe of the red head's puppet, from earlier standing behind him like the silver haired boy was doing from Orochimaru, both looking rather subdued and tame at the moment while standing so close to their new masters. Madara though, had an amused smirk on his face at the sight of Zetsu and the fact that his own orange haired pet was standing as far away from the black haired man as possible.

Almost before Zetsu could blink Tobi was already jumping off of his back, and beginning to run in the direction of his friends ready to tackle the closest one... However, the chain connected to the collar around his neck and to his new master's hand had its limits and quite sooner than expected Tobi reached said end. Which concluded on a choking sound and a painful thud once the Uchiha's body crashed against the ground. Everyone of the captured teens, at least the ones that were conscious, looked on at the scene with heavy expressions of resignation... As if they had expected no less from their friend. And with a heavy sigh all of them continued to watch the twitching form of their fallen friend on the ground.

Deidara was the first of the slaves to speak, a simple word that was uttered with a small shake of his head as he look at the unconscious body just out of touching distance, "Idiot, un." Sasuke sent the blond a small smile for the short statement, VERY thankful for the lighthearted comment that seemed to make the rest of their little group give out a small sigh of relief. Tobi's usual antics gave them just a tiny bit of hope that maybe, just maybe, their lives would be able to retain some form of normalcy from before being purchased. These small thoughts were something that allowed them to get their minds off of the current situation.

Pein's eyes though, snapped to the entrance of the cave and the two forms that were slowly walking out of it. The first to step into the late morning light was an older man that was dressed in the same black cloak decorated by blood red clouds framed by sliver, deeming him to be a true member of the Akatsuki. Now other features were brought to the teenager's attention taking in the short, spiky, black hair, a mist headband with a deep slash upon it tied around the other's forehead at a twisted angle, a bandage like mask wrapped around the lower part of his face and neck hiding away his nose and mouth. The most threatening and worrying features of this new male though was the large uncovered sword strapped to his back and the surge of chakra woven inside his body.

The next figure to move out of the cave was that of a young boy, dressed in a turquoise kimono top, pale turtle neck, and pale pants. Calm, chocolaty brown eyes were held with in a feminine pale face that was dressed with strands of dark brown hair that was partially tied into a bun on the top of his head. This boy too wore a mist headband with a scratch through it. He also seemed to be around Kabuto's age and the fact that the other was obviously not a member of the Akatsuki, but followed the other man willingly and appeared to be living with the dangerous organization confused Pein greatly. But the mysterious teenager just gave a small wave at the slave leader as he stood next to the other man leaning against him slightly as they stopped in front of Madara.

Haku looked over the other boys with a critical eye and slowly his brown gaze moved back towards his own Akatsuki lover, confusion showed on his face as he wondered why exactly the other didn't tell him about the other members getting slaves and being as smart as he was the teen knew what was going on and he was NOT happy about it. After all, he was here at his own free will, while these boys obviously weren't. Biting the inside of his cheek the boy blessed by a rare kekkai genki sent a small glare at Zabuza that promised that he was going to stay away from him for at the very least a couple of nights.

Zabuza tried to control himself, yet it was awfully hard, and as soon as he felt the frosty glare his lover was sending him, his muscular and powerful body flinched. His boy was pissed, brutally so. And the ex-mist nin's libido would suffer severely for it. Making sure to avoid the dark glare from the effeminate boy he looked at each of the newly acquired boys. None of which seemed to be very happy to be there... Two were actually unconscious and that was never a promising sign. Locking eyes with Madara, Zabuza made a wide gesture in this general direction, muttering with his usual gruff voice, "This lot's the brats you had planned?"

Hidan immediately looked like he was going to make a rude comment, but the sharp look he got from Pein made him shut up almost as fast as he opened his mouth. Yet this didn't make him leave his new game of throwing small peddles that he found on the ground at the head of Kakuzu. The rest of the conscious kids also remained silent, they wouldn't make a move unless they got a signal from Pein that he believed it to be safe, on the inside though they were itching to question the other teenager that was with the Akatsuki member.

Madara rose an elegant, ebony eyebrow, visibly amused by he growing dark aura behind the Demon of the Mist, and the sheer will of said demon to NOT turn around and face the threat... Really that little ice vixen the man had snatched was one of a kind. The oldest Uchiha also hoped that the rest of their new 'members' were of this rare fold. Nodding his head, Madara started pointing at each of the kids, naming them and observing each minute flinch in all the, conscious boys. It was going to be a LONG adaptation process...

Haku sent a gentle, pleasant smile towards each of the boys as they were named and was concerned by the reaction that they gave, just what the hell had these poor souls been put through? Where exactly did Madara find them? And where was the previous owner so he could castrate him? The pale skinned teen's feelings were radiating off of his form, for once he was completely unable to hide his emotions under a sweet and calm face.

He was just too worried about each of them and was more than a little peeved at Kisame; obviously blaming the blue skinned male for the unconsciousness of the black haired boy in his arms. Haku's eyes then flickered towards Zetsu, who seemed to have given into the urge to nudge the one eyed boy with his foot to see if he was still alive. Hearing the small grunt coming from the fallen body for an answer the grass shinobi leaned down and easily scooped up the knocked out boy into his arms. It seemed that the green haired individual like most of the Akatsuki were waiting impatiently for their leader to dismiss them. It was only at that time that they could hopefully dump the kids in some room, though it was at that exact moment that one of the peddles Hidan was throwing hit his new owner in the head...

Kakuzu was not happy. NOT AT ALL! As soon as he had arrived to the base the brat started talking and cursing, showing a vocabulary a seasoned sailor would have been ashamed of. And no matter what threats of bodily harm the money lover gave, it did nothing to help the escalating situation... and in turn his escalating migraine. When Madara appeared in the clearing a couple minutes later, the mocking smile he sent his way was not missed, and the cursing brat by his side just kept on adding to his ticking veins. Then, to add insult to injury, it didn't take more than a glance from the orange haired boy to get Hidan to shut up and then start throwing pebbles in his direction.

Yup, the ex-waterfall ninja was definitely not happy. When Haku and Zabuza finally arrived, a little after the rather entertaining show from Zetsu's boy, the masked man felt a sigh of relief coming. Just a few more minutes and he would be able to ditch the pest by his side, free to seek sleep in his own comfy heaven. But then a rock hit his head. Yes, it was a rather soft hit, no kind of force behind it; and the rock was decidedly small... But STILL. He actually FELT the veins in his forehead exploding, and deciding that should he die of a hemorrhage in the brain, he wouldn't go down alone. And so a large quantity of threads came out from his arm, wounding tightly around Hidan's neck, holding and squeezing tightly.

The albino yelped, hands moving desperately to claw at the treads with his short nails. Seeing that this wasn't working he started to twist and turn in the treads, but he soon discovered too late that this only caused the horrid things to tighten their hold. Soon his airways were completely cut off as he continued to wither in the iron grasp.

Even in his panicked form he could feel the gazes of the other boys digging into his back as they tired to move forward to save their distressed friend, but their own chains soon stopped them from helping the silver haired boy. Hell Hidan seemed to be turning slightly blue! The silver haired boy was pissed, after all, he didn't mean to actually HIT the other. But now that he did, he was getting choked and for the first time in his life he felt true FEAR of all things. Fear of the other man and what he could do to him now, though he couldn't die and some pain brought him pleasure, it didn't mean that the Jashinist wasn't terrified by a small number of things: suffocation, rape, Pein, and being burned or buried alive were among the top of this short list.

At the very moment that Hidan was about to let out a strangled cry that he had planned to beg the older man with, the air suddenly came back into his lungs as the threads grip disappeared and allowed his body to fall back to the grass. Looking up with blurry, slightly tear stained eyes he saw a kunai buried in the Earth near his head. Instantly he knew this was the cause on his salvation and he saw that it was the mystery teen that was now gazing at the banker with a look of absolute HATRED, silently daring Kakuzu to try and attack the slave again as he held a handful of senbon in his hand.

Before Kakuzu could make any move, or comment, a heavy hand fell atop brown haired teen's shoulder, halting the angry boy more with the sudden sprout of chakra than the undetected presence, "Why so violent Haku? It's unfitting of someone of your beauty." The hidden threat in Madara's voice was thick and obvious, the tone remaining in his voice as he regarded the still seething money lover, "And Kakuzu, please don't make me cut your paycheck in half. You know better than to kill or harm any of these precious children."

Kakuzu breathed loudly through his nose, angry at the fact that he had lost control of himself so easily, reduced into a state that forced him into attacking in simple and blind rage. How was it physically possible that he, of all people, should be moved so by a stupid brat? And damn him if the threat to his bank account didn't terrify him just the tiniest bit. Turning his eyes to the side, Kakuzu's neck lowered minimally in an almost imperceptible subdued pose, "He... can't die..."

Haku had stiffened almost instantly at the sensation of the other man's hand on his shoulder and could actually feel the warning thickly coating Madara's voice. Quickly the long haired boy shrugged off the black haired other's appendage and retreated backwards a few steps to stand once again behind Zabuza, eyes lowered to the ground in an obedient fashion.

Sure the teen wasn't a slave like the new boy, but Haku WAS NOT a member of the dark organization and was considerably weaker then the rest of the members. Which in turn meant that he could be forced the leave the hideout at anytime even though Zabuza would protest heavily. In fact it was Kakuzu that held this threat the most over the ice boy's head, obviously disgusted by the fact that the money that they earned was also put forward to feed him. The banker even locked the boy outside the base for the course of three days before his lover had returned from a solo mission and raised complete hell for his so called partner's actions. Haku sighed softly at this memory and his heart yearned from him to provide more assistance to the boy that was sentenced to be the slave to such a awful man, but alas all he could do was be thankful for Madara's words about none of the boys allowed to be seriously damaged... At least physically.

Hidan took a few slow, even breathes, as if testing to see whether or not he was going to be attacked again or if the muscles in his throat were completely crushed to nothing but bloody gelatin. Seeing that everything seemed to be in working order the purple gaze shifted over towards his new master once again, but much to everyone's surprise, along with some of his friends' horror, the Jashinist didn't say a word. Not even a whispered curse or colorful prayer to his god!

Kakuzu felt his will wavering under the gaze of the silver haired teen. As hard as it was to admit it, even to himself, he hadn't meant to snap like that. Yes, the brat was a pest... But he hadn't come from Bunny Happy Land either. Avoiding the deep violet gaze directed at him, he walked closer to the still fallen boy, and hauled him up by an arm. His movements strangely soft, even if noticeable only to the one being pulled upright. Without even a glance to the others he started to walk inside the passageway built into the huge mountain before them, halting only when Madara questioned his actions. "It's starting to bruise. Might as well give the brat some painkillers. I don't think I can resist killing him if he whines nonstop tomorrow."

Hidan actually flinched at the other's words though he remained silent even if his mind certainly wasn't. He did, however, slowly reached his hand up to touch his neck. Trying to find out if the other was right by touch since his eyes could not gaze upon those few inches of his body. All the while he was trying to test this he was being pulled further down the dark, cold hallways dug into the mountain by some unknown force.

And as sure as the teen's bad mouth, as soon as the fingers grazed the raw flesh pain coursed through his frame making a soft hiss be forced out of his lips. Yet much to his surprise the chill to the air helped numb the pain. His observations of these small miracles were quickly broken though when the masked man came to a stop in front of a set of heavy, large, metal doors that had the Akatsuki symbol printed down the middle of it. Behind this grand entrance though, was something that shocked Hidan, it seemed as if they were no longer in a cave but inside what looked to be a mansion. How it was ever placed inside the bowls of the mountain he could only guess.

Kakuzu didn't stop in his trek, even though he knew Hidan was probably gawking at the inner building. Everyone did so the first time they entered the place. His pace was brisk and fast, eager to reach the medical wing and yet again refusing to admit it as truth, a small pang of worry shot through his chest when he heard the boy hissing in obvious pain. As soon as they entered the white room, Kakuzu grabbed the boy around the waist and seated him roughly in one of the beds, quickly moving away and starting to move around, looking for all the needed items. Soon enough, the small table besides the bed was filled with bandages, pills, a jar of balm, and a glass of water. Holding out the pills and the glass, the older man simply said, "...Painkillers..." Before starting to sort through the remaining items on the table. Grabbing a generous handful of the cold cream, he started coating the pale neck of the boy, his hands gentle as not many knew they could be.

Hidan held in a yelp as he was picked up and seated on the side of a bed, but remained silent as he watched with a slight form of fascination at the way Kakuzu was looking for the needed items so quickly and easily obtaining them before returning to where he was still seated. The albino took the glass and the small handful of pills though he wondered if he could actually manage to swallow them, but he tried and soon succeeded, though the pills were slightly dissolved and left a nasty taste in his mouth when he failed at his first few attempts to get them down.

The teen grinned slightly at his success and set the glass back down on the table, not noticing the other messing with the cream until he touched it gently to his neck and out of pure instinct the boy yelped, "That shit is fucking cold!" Hidan quickly went silent again though after realizing what he had done and even felt a slight blush forming on his face as he realized just how close the other was and how surprisingly gentle the other was being in treating the wounds he had caused.

"You sure got a foul mouth..." were the words spoken with no more intent than stating a fact; voice low, deep... A hidden strength in each cord. Kakuzu kept going with the gentle massage over the wounded flesh, watching attentively as the balm began to disappear, being absorbed by the skin. Grabbing another handful of the cream he set about spreading it thickly across the darkening dermis, knowing it wouldn't be absorbed for some more minutes. Cleaning his hand briefly with a cloth, he grabbed one of the bandages and started fastening it around the kid's throat, his movements even softer now, weary of making the brat think he was being strangled again.

Hidan stayed still through it all, managing to somehow keep the retorts inside his head as he watched Kakuzu work and slowly the boy felt his body go limp as it started to relax against the gentle touches that the albino had never once received in his life. Yet there there was no way in hell that Hidan was EVER going to admit that he liked what Kakuzu was doing. AFTER ALL, it was the mask wearing man's fault they were in this room to begin with.

No, Hidan was certainly not going to start getting used the man that just exploited one of his greatest fears and with a slightly stubborn pout on his face Hidan turned his head away as far as he could without disrupting the other's bandage wrapping project. What the Jashinist didn't know though was the fact that a light blush danced across his cheeks at the way the other was moving as fast as he could for his comfort and the way his body was so close that he could FEEL the heat coming off it._ 'Maybe he isn't such a cold bastard,'_ Hidan thought to himself.

Kakuzu was amused, along with being more than a little ticked off. He was supposed to detest this child. Hell, he had even convinced himself of his worthlessness because of his foul mouth... and now the brat comes and does this. How in all the layers of hell could such a brazen being be so damned CUTE. The banker, however, wouldn't admit it for his life that the C word had ever crossed his mind.

He just couldn't believe the amount of feelings this wiry brat had managed to pull from him in such a short span of time. It was unnatural, it was unpractical, and the truth that it wasn't bad at all for the money loving man was something he didn't believe himself ready to accept. However, he would give some peace to the kid, he DID come out from the gutter. So as Kakuzu finished his task, securing the cloth to ensure it didn't come loose and also wasn't too tight so to cut the boy's air supply he took a deep breath and swallowing a big deal of his task, he locked his strange eyes to a spot barely above Hidan's shoulder, refusing to see the kid eye to eye, "You hungry, brat?"

Hidan looked at the other trying to catch his eyes, after all, it pissed him off when someone didn't look at him directly when he was speaking to him, but finally the teen nodded his head and moved off the bed though he still seemed a little nervous around the other, even if it appeared that the other was being forced into being kind to him. Besides these small facts, the silver haired immortal was STARVING and the growl his malnourished stomach gave made Hidan realize that if he even gave a moment to think about refusing the man's offer his hunger would break his resolve quicker than he could think a prayer to Jashin.

XXXXX With Zetsu XXXXXXXXX

Zetsu sighed softly and turned back towards his leader, ignoring the way the others were still staring after the place Kakuzu and the silver haired boy disappeared into. "May we go now? It's very bothersome to keep holding him." The bi-colored man explained as he re-shifted the load of unconscious teen age boy in the crook of his white side's arm once again.

Madara looked at the man, amusement shinning in his eyes visibly for all to see. "Yes, yes, Zetsu-kun... We all might as well go inside." And then with a slightly deeper voice he added as he pulled Pein closer to him by the chain, "You should use this time to get to know each other a little better... The sleeping arrangements shall be discussed in an hour in the main room." Without further ado, the leader of Akatsuki walked inside the dark place, closely followed by the scowling orange haired teen and the rest of the men with their respective charges.

Zetsu held in a growl, but none the less followed the others into the darkness that was the entrance of the hideout, Zabuza already having disabled the traps and genjutsus when he had come to meet them. Yet the further the ex-grass nin walked inside, the more his annoyance and frustration started to rise as well. After all, the man just wanted to leave the kid and go tend to his plants, instead he was being forced into the dark about where the kid was staying. So his so much treasured plan was left outside of the mountain.

Now he had to spend a whole HOUR with the annoying one eyed boy, though if he remained unconscious he guessed it wouldn't be too bad. Holding in another sigh the man walked into the north wing that housed both his and Madara's rooms. Entering the large room that had his name printed on a silver plate on the door, quickly and "sort of" gently he dumped the boy on the black and green silk bed that was HUGE after all it had to be that size to hold the leaf like appendages on his body.

Yet much to Zetsu's disappointment, no sooner had his body made contact with the bed, that Tobi's only eye snapped open... and releasing a joyous cry of glee, the hyper boy started jumping up and down on the comfortable bed, bouncing higher and higher with every passing second.

The shinobi's eyes followed the way the other was jumping, his irritation growing with each bounce. Yet he quickly with held in any action that might lead to serious harm to the well being of the other. So heaving out a soft sigh he simply turned away from the jumping menace and walked over to the a large sum of plants held in the back of the room, the one place where a large amount of true sunlight was being let into the room to help the plants grow**.**

The joyous squeals ended as soon as they started; and quickly stopping any sort of movement, Tobi softly bounced back to immovability. His dark eye never straying from the strange form of the man he was supposed to serve. He watched closely the strangely graceful movements, the sure and meaningful steps. The man was undeniably deadly and yet, he seemed so gentle with the plants before him; caressing the leaves, observing its growth, wait a minute. Could it be.. Was this deadly weapon of a man be... "...Are you gardening..? Zetsu-sama..?"

Zetsu twitched at the comment and sighing softly he pinched the bridge of his nose just now realizing how stupid he must look. After all, he was a huge, creepy looking, cannibal eating man that was a master spy and ninja;. Yet no one had ever been inside his room other than Madara and now Tobi; everyone thought the place a person like himself would live in to be a dark, cramped, slimy hole, but his room was the exact opposite as it was huge and open, well lit, and VERY clean. Another compromising fact was that almost all of the plants that he had covering the room were flowering; coming in a wide range of size, style, and color. Biting his lip bottom lip slightly the man answered the question simple tone, hoping to ward off any more questions, "It's a hobby and **some of them provide the main ingredients for Sasori's poisons.**"

Tobi made a loud sound of amazement. Truly surprised to learn that bit of information from the seemingly aloof man. So taking a deep breath, thinking it safe to risk a little more probing, he opened his mouth again, black eye full of childlike wonder, "Is there anything else Zetsu-sama enjoys doing?"

Zetsu frowned softly and thought to himself in surprise, _'What DID he enjoy doing decides taking care of plants?' _The man had never really thought or tried many other things as most people would ban the entrance to new things and hobbies to him because of his strange appearance, espically when he was a young child. Eyes narrowing at that those past and slightly painful memories, it was then that he realized just WHY exactly he had gotten the loud mouthed boy out of the entire bunch of misfits. Maybe, just maybe, he was yearning for someone to talk too and not flinch away from him. Looking over to teen he said truthfully, moving to pick up a fallen leaf from the soft carpet, "I'm not to sure, I suppose I like going for walks in the forest, but other than that, nothing much."

Tobi's face broke into a wide grin, happy to be able to get the silent man to talk. "Walks in the forests are nice, and Tobi is sure there are many plants in there for Zetsu-sama to watch over!" The Uchiha bounced a little on his seat, seemingly unable as he was, to remain still for long periods of time. "And, and, and... And what else does Zetsu-sama do to pass the time?"

"I suppose reading. **Now can you explain how you and the other Uchihas ended up in that place?**" The man was starting to get desperate to get the attention off of himself, after all, now the boy was making him wonder about who he HIMSELF really was as a person and not a ninja and freak. Those thoughts were just too much to handle in one day for poor old Zetsu.

"Uh?" The boy's head tilted to the side, watching with a sudden look of ignorance at the quick change of topic. However once the question passed through his skull, Tobi's expression became slightly somber right away. A small frown and tightly pressed lips changing the previously happy face, "Tobi doesn't really remember much. Just that it was dark, the middle of the night, and winter because Tobi also remembers the splashes of red across the white ground covered in snow. Screams... me running into Sasuke-kun's room... he was the youngest, after all, and Tobi had to look after him. Both of us crying... Itachi-san coming in, looking pale and bleeding... Telling us to run and guiding us through the forest as fire took down the compound. Itachi-san said it was a man... an expert in his field sent to destroy the clan. We escaped for a long time, but once we were far enough, it became difficult to fend for ourselves. We were weak and one day we woke up in the damp room of the slave-dealers. There's nothing else to it." A wide smile appeared once again on Tobi's face, a little strained, but still honest and innocent. "But now we'll be fine! Zesu-sama and his friends will take care of Tobi and his friends, right?"

Zetsu nodded his head automatically though his mind was rapidly turning over the information he had just heard. Wouldn't a person that could do that to such a high up clan so thoroughly have to be a powerful ninja, probably the same level that the members of the Akatsuki were? But the bi-colored man didn't believe that the Akatsuki were behind it. After all, he doubted Madara would allow the others to take a mission that would mean the deaths of all of his distance relatives. Sighing softly the man gave a soft understanding look that was very rare to cover both parts of his face as he asked simply, "Is there anything you like to do?"

The boy's face snapped up, black eye widening in a taunt and pale face. "Um, well... No one's ever really asked Tobi that before, except maybe for Sasuke-kun when he was younger but, umm what Tobi likes.. What Tobi likes... Tobi doesn't know what he likes..." His lower lip started trembling, a clear sheen of water brightening his only eye, "Tobi thinks he likes hugging...and drawing... and... getting stronger as well. "

Zetsu started to inwardly panic the moment he saw the beginnings of the first tear in the young teen's eye, he knew that he desperately needed to change the subject to protect himself from the unpleasant task of trying to deal with a crying kid from an entire hour. So stealing his resolve the ex-nin spoke in a rushed and desperate tone, hoping to stop the waterworks before they even started, "Those are good hobbies. **I guess since they aren't too annoying you can continue doing those things here.**"

The plump lip stopped trembling, the water starting to fill up the eye dried up, and the forming pout dissolved into a brilliant smile as Tobi jumped from his perch on the bed and wrapped his arms around the stiff shoulders of the Akatsuki spy, nuzzling his face into the crook of the white side of the neck, "Zetsu-sama is so good to Tobi!"

Zetsu remained tense and much to his lighter side's surprise the dark side of him seemed to have finally grown used to the other as well, as the dark skin didn't make a move to yell or push the smaller male off... Slowly, cautiously both of his arms started to rise and moved to completely encircled the other. Even though he really didn't see the purposes of hugs, he knew that this would probably be an appropriate time to return one if ever.

Tobi's eye widened, and his body became stiff for a second at the unexpected contact. But then he relaxed, softening the press of his body against the older man and minimally tightening his hold around the other's neck. A sweet smile appeared on his face, hidden as it was as he was pressed against the Akatsuki member's chest... It had been far too long since anyone had returned one of his hugs. "Thank you, Zetsu-sama..."

The words came out a little muffled, but were still pretty much understandable... and before the older man could do anything or even THINK about protecting himself from what the one eyed boy had planned. Tobi quickly pulled his body slightly higher up, standing on his tiptoes to reach his goal, and pressed softly warm lips to a suddenly cold cheek... A cold, tense, black skinned cheek.

Zetsu seriously thought that his brain had stopped from a moment there, his consciousness unable to do anything other than take to the back seat of the wheel as his body acted on its own. His hands moving into the position required to complete the replacement jutsu, poofing his body to the other side of the room. The very farthest distance from the boy that the room would allow, the fly trap on his shoulders quickly snapping close as to hid both his shock and blush, he just couldn't believe that he had been KISSED of all things!

Tobi remained where he was left; hands still poised up as if holding an invisible partner, his only eye wide with shock and confusion, and his lips puckered up, still not relaxed after the sudden movement of the older man. Slowly his body started to loosen up bit by bit: first his arms, which fell to his sides in a boneless sway; his face relaxed almost immediately after, only a small strain remained between his eyes in the form of a small frown.

The teen's head fell a little to the side as he started to walk in the direction where Zetsu was standing, still painfully pressed against the wall, fly trap firmly shut. "Umm..." his tone was unsure, as were his steps. A hand rose as if to touch the stiff shoulder as he stopped close to the man, but refrained from doing so halfway as he noticed the stiffening of already tense muscles. Swallowing hard and steeling his resolve the young Uchiha braced himself, and talking a deep breath he exclaimed, "THAT WAS AMAZING ZETSU-SAMA! Will you teach Tobi how to do that?"

Zetsu jumped at the sudden shout, half of his body starting to dissolve back into the wall as a result. Yet when no contact followed the loud shout coming from the oddly powerful lungs that the boy possessed; the ex-grass nin slowly started to reopened the leafy trap to stare at the other, still not understanding what was going on as his mind still seemed to be suffering a case of massive over load.

Tobi was bouncing on his feet, his folded hands tightly pressed against his chest and a hopeful expression on his face, which included shinny eyes and all the rest. He had REALLY been amazed by the other's fast move; truly surprised by hand signs he was witness off... But he was feeling a little more guilty than anything else, even if it wasn't easily seen in his expression. Thank goodness, Tobi had learned how to hide what he was truly feeling most of the time... at least while it wasn't happy feelings.

But the thing was, the young Uchiha felt remorse over his actions. Not that he regretted them, but that it was quite obvious that even though Zetsu was giving him a WIDE freedom over somethings... it wasn't about everything. And he had overstepped some unnamed boundary. So, hiding his hurt and uneasiness behind a happy grin, he kept on the charade to distract his owner, which seemed to be working as the giant fly trap began opening, "Tobi thinks that transportation trick was SO VERY amazing, Zetsu-sama!"

The man in question sighed softly, relaxing enough to once again come out of the wall and stand only a few short inches away from the other male as he said softly, trying to put a little more ease in the tense atmosphere of the room, "I guess I could show it to you some time, though it will have to be while I'm not on a mission."

Mr. Plant man wasn't too entertained by the idea of actually teaching the boy, though if it made him happy and more comfortable in his new life and surroundings; then he might as well do it for the kid's shake. But in the back of his mind he was slowly starting to realize that he was almost willing to do anything to make the Uchiha keep that grin on his face and not be near tears like his was a few minutes ago.

Tobi's grin softened at the response, almost physically restraining himself from pouncing on the man's shoulders once again. "Tobi would like that."

Zetsu bit his lip slightly in a state of disbelief with the fact that someone could be that adorable and inwardly he quickly smacked himself in the head, wondering what exactly he got himself into if he was already changing so much after only knowing the kid for a few short hours. Thankfully though, he saw with his golden eyes that the hour was up and he quickly walked towards the door. Giving Tobi a quick order to follow him to the main lounge area.

xxxx With Sasori xxxxxxx

Sasori was walking down a dark hallway, left hand still dragging the enormous puppet, and right grasping the thin chain linked to the blond kid. He had an hour to kill; might as well get as much profit out of it as possible. He stepped inside his quarters, a bright light instantly turning on and shedding light inside the room. Ushering the boy inside, he closed the door with a sharp snap and let the chain fall to the ground. Without even sparing a glance at the blond he sat on a chair in front of a work table, atop which he put the ruined puppet. Taking out a pouch full of tools from a drawer, he fixed his eyes on the charred bits of the carcass, and set on repairing the damage.

Deidara's one visible eye looked around the room with a cautious expression, taking in how large it was and the fact that it was painted red, not the red that made you uncomfortable and made you think it was painted with human blood or something, no this red was an easy going maroon that was a few shades darker than his new master's own hair so it didn't seem so awkward. There was also a black and red bed that seemed to be a large king size, the walls were lined with bookshelves that were filled with a wide assortment of scrolls and old looking books. There was also a wide variety of puppets hung up on the walls and then a closet that was cracked slightly open showing jars of different colored liquids... Something told the blond to stay away from those at all cost. There were also two other doors though they were closed and he had no idea what they could lead to. Finally the blond set his eyes back on the red head and the worktable he sitting in front of looking at the ruined puppet, feeling slightly guilty and afraid of being punished the blond looked down at his feet mumbling softly almost to himself as he stayed curled up in the thick cloak, "So-Sorry about the puppet, un. Daana."

Sasori didn't even paused in his tinkering with the tools and the puppet when the blond spoke. Actually, he wouldn't even had bothered with giving a response either, if a particular part of the kid's statement hadn't surprised him so. "...Danna?..." his voice never changing his low tone, not even shifting to look at the uncomfortable boy.

"Umm yeah, since you are my master and all." The blond explained softly as he sat down on the carpeted floor leaning his back against the foot of the bed not really sure if he was allowed to touch anything in the room or even get on the comfy looking sleeping space. Instead the teen started to make little designs in the plush fabric that covered the floor in an ocean of white. Silently the blond let his other hand start to play with a few locks of his hair grimacing at the grimy feeling of the unwashed, uncombed mats. The other was also annoyed that he had nothing to keep his hair up in his favorite style and was forced to wear it down, causing him to look very girlish in his opinion.

Sasori kept on working, humming softly when a response to his question was given. It did make sense, considering the blond wasn't a 'simple' slave as were the other ones... His previous position had been 'different'. The redhead wasn't about to persuade the kid otherwise, seeing as respect seemed to be overrated among members of the Akatsuki, sometimes not even sparing Madara-sama. However, now his mind was split. A part of it, a small one, mind you, was fixed on the kneeling boy by his bed.

What was he to do with him..? They DID have to pass by an hour without problems... and he seriously doubted the brat would be willing to be turned into a puppet. So suppressing a sigh, he stood up and went to a small vault hidden by the big table. He had remembered what he and Deidara spoke about in the forest. With a careless movement he threw the newly acquired object in the blond's direction, hearing the soft thump when it fell in front of said boy. Sasori sat once again on his chair, grabbing his tools and starting to work again. The brat better appreciate the clay filled pouch.

Deidara was already on edge and seeing a flying object headed in his direction made him flinch and bit deep into his bottom lip to hold in a yelp, but the object didn't even reach him and was now resting a foot away from him. Cautiously he reached for the bag and much to his delight found it to be filled with white clay and quickly he grabbed a handful modeling it quickly into a bird and then moving to the next animal in his arsenal. As he started on his fourth centipede though he looked up shyly saying with a slight tone of astonishment, "Tha-Thanks un. I really didn't think you would keep your promise." The blond was actually shaken to his core, after all, NO ONE but his friends had been kind to him and then he was separated from them; singled out to be used in ways that made his skin crawl and wonder why his precious one could still even LOOK at him, let alone still try and look out for him.

Again, Sasori didn't pause in his actions. And, again, he uttered an answer, as strange a fact as that was, "A lack of justice doesn't enable to a lack of honor..."

Deidara's head cocked to the side slightly, wondering what the hell the other meant by that, but the blond decided to remain quite as he started to remodel the clay in front of him again; though he hummed slightly in response JUST like Sasori had done earlier to show that he had heard him. The 16 year old was completely engrossed by the clay that he didn't notice what the red head was doing at all, or the fact that he himself had started to hum to himself to pass the time.

Sasori was, to say the least, annoyed. He was making very little progress with the repairing of his puppet and it was ALL the blond's fault. Well... It wasn't as if the brat was being obnoxiously loud... nor was he dirtying the room... nor making a mess... Actually, the kid was being relatively quiet, except for the annoying, soothing humming of some made up song. In reality the boy was being quite the jewel in regards of behavior. But it was still all his fault. Deidara was just too distracting for the redhead, who seemed to be suddenly unable to control his eyes; fixed as they were on the content blond. Repressing a heavy sigh at his situation, Sasori decided right then and there that if he couldn't get his work done, he might as well get some profit out of his distraction, "Tell me about yourself..."

Deidara's one visible eye flickered up towards the other and was surprised to see that the other was actually looking at him instead of just talking to him while still working on that stupid puppet. Biting his lip he asked simply while looking down at the half formed cat in his hands, "What do you want to know, yeah?"

Sasori just blinked, his face not disclosing any of his emotions. What did he want to know really? Everything, that's what. But he couldn't really overwhelm the kid that much, right? Humans weren't supposed to do that so... then again, this kid hadn't lived like a normal human either. So, sighing softly again, he decided for the open response, letting it be as much as the kid found comfort in... he could pry again later, "Whatever you want to share..."

Deidara hummed softly in thought and finally said though he was thankful the red head wasn't being that forceful, "Umm I'm 16 years old, I used to live in Iwa, and I guess I'm an orphan since my parents were ninja and were "killed" when I was around 4." The blond spat out the word killed as if he really didn't believe that and rage turn the blue eyes icy as he set down the now finish sculpture to glare at the floor.

Sasori remained unperturbed, though a small spark ignited in his chest at the boy's obvious discomfort and pain when speaking about his parents' death. He had been right... This boy's life has been anything but normal... Sighing once again, Sasori stood up from his chair, covering the short distance that separated them in no time. He lowered his body to the ground, sitting in a cross legged position right in front of the blond boy, now looking at him with slightly widened eyes. The varied clay zoo between them, acting as a barrier for both of them. The red head just locked his eyes with the only visible one of the kid, silently willing the other to speak his mind; unknowingly releasing a warm surge of chakra, comforting and calming the tense child.

Deidara was confused greatly by the fact that the other was now sitting before him in such a manner but then the feeling of warm energy flowing over him made the blond have a slightly dazed look in his eyes as he started to relax and before he knew it his mouth was running and he had no control over his words, "I know my parents weren't killed, the kage did it so that the village would have legal custody over me and so they started to train me to become a living weapon, un. But after I blew up a part of the town in a fit of rage they must have realized that I wasn't worth the trouble and risk, yeah, so as soon as the traders made their yearly visit they handed me over to them, no questions asked about what they would do. I was in that place for 8 years."

Sasori felt a sudden wave of rage course through his body. It wasn't usual for him to feel so much in such a short time... and yet, such a monstrosity. But then something else crossed his mind; the boy had been in the slave trader's grasp for eight years and that meant, damn. "You were sold... at eight..?" It was just too much. Humanity was just so disgusting! Never before had Sasori been so glad about his forfeit of such a race!

Deidara looked at the other suddenly embarrassed as he realized that he had pretty much told his life's story to the person that probably didn't even care. A light pink shade started to dance across his face as he looked down at his hands in embarrassment saying quickly, "So-Sorry un, I didn't mean to bore you." The blond though was confused by what Sasori had said, after all, what did it matter if he was sold when he was that age? Some kids were there since they were two when parents realized that they couldn't afford or want another mouth to feed.

Sasori's face remained blank, not knowing what to say to the boy before him. What COULD he possibly tell a boy like this one? Suppressing a sigh and deciding that a deep discussion about the brat's life and past would NOT be in the kid's best interest, he chose the only other possibility he could think of... changing subjects. So directing his penetrating gaze to the still increasing clay zoo, he muttered "You're quite talented..."

Deidara immediately grinned as he explained motioning to the whole row of animals, "I pretty much just model them after animals that I've seen in books and stuff, yeah. I'm not really good at making people though." The blond sighed at that statement as he looked at one the lumps that couldn't be recognizable as a human figure. Turning back to the muddy red eyes the blond asked wanting to know a little more about the newest owner though he didn't know how far he could push the silent and emotionless red head, "So umm where are you from daana?"

The red head directed his eyes once again to lock with the sparkling sapphire on the other's face. He kept silent for some long moments, inwardly wondering if he should answer to the child or not. Might as well do so, if he wanted to retain an air of peace between them, "The Sand village, Suna..."

"Really, un? What's it like there? Or umm have you been there in a while, yeah?" The blond asked truly interested in what the other parts of the world looked like.

Sasori blinked slowly, his mind conjuring images long forgotten. Suna had been a truly beautiful place, as only a dessert can be. The eternally changing sands, the moving dunes, the occasional plant, a balm for tired eyes... The scattered oasis, the infinite sky... the spilled blood, inky black under the moonlight. He had been only a child back then, while living in the dessert; no older than the boy sitting in front of his unseeing eyes. A bundle of memories tangled as threads unwilling to be discerned. Yes, Suna had definitely been a beautiful place. "Too much sand everywhere. Too hot in the days, too cold in the nights. A deadly maze if you didn't know how to read the sky." His eyes lost the cloudy look they had acquired while he was thinking, and with each word, they hardened like marbles, hiding once again the thoughts hidden inside, "I spent there most of my childhood. Then I had to grow up... and I left."

Deidara looked confused by the other's words, how could a person be so bitter towards a place where they were given life? But then again the blond only wanted to do two things before he died and they were blowing up Iwa and then going out with a bang. Sure that thought of death might have been a little demented like the small smirk that was set across his face but he didn't care. After all, he was made this way by those assholes, as Hidan would say.

Eyes flickering back towards the red head he soon got lost in those deep depths, but it was then that confusion spread across his face at the fact that there was a strange shine to the other's eyes that he didn't see in other people's eyes no matter what kind of lighting they were in... It was almost as if the eyes were made of glass. Tilting his head to the side the other continued to stare wondering about the other man in front of him, his new owner.

Sasori kept on looking at the blond, memories of his old land receding once more into the back of his mind. He couldn't let those old skeletons burden him anymore, it just wouldn't do. His eyes wandered again to the clay animals between him and Deidara, appreciating the potential in the other's work, "You have talent..." his muttered words were still clear in the light silence surrounding them, and deciding that giving advice to a possible upcoming artist was a good thing to do, he added, "If you are as good with wood as you are with clay, you'll start creating true art in no time."

"What do you mean true art, yeah! Sure I know this isn't art in its finest form, real art is when I blow them up. Art is fleeting and a bang!" Deidara said quickly as motioned towards the clay figures with a dreamy expression on his face. Besides that though, Deidara didn't WANT to make puppets, they were just too boring and ugly for the pyro loving bomb maker.

A red brow twitched, though the rest of the face remained impassive. Art wasn't fleeting. Art was making things eternal. Art was the creation of things that couldn't be touched by the hand of time. Art was control and eternity. Art was all that wouldn't leave the artist, even after death. His eyes squinted, not enough to be noticeable, but 'just about' to cool the air around them, "You don't understand art."

Deidara stuck his tongue out at the other in response and said with a tone that was dripping with obvious anger for the fact that the other was questioning the one thing that the blond truly felt that he was better than all others at, his explosions ruled his heart and fueled the feistyness that filled his veins; even after living in such horrible conditions during the most recent half of his life, "Well what do you think art is, un?"

The red head's eyes narrowed further, body inching closer to the blond boy, even if none of them noticed so. "I am a true artist. I'm both the creation and the creator. My life is art, what would a brat like you understand about true art?"

Deidara looked at the other in confusion, after all, what did the other mean by 'creation as well as creator'? Yet the blond wasn't about to back down as he growled out right back at the red head not noticing that he too was inching closer to yell in obvious frustration, "I think I know what art is, haven't you ever watched fireworks. They're only beautiful for a short moment and then they disappear from existence. If they remained in the sky forever they would get annoying and boring to look at. The excitement that one feels from a short moment of true beauty is art, and is fleeting, un! Not eternal... that's just stupid."

The twitching on Sasori's eyebrow was becoming annoying... though surely not as much as the sitting blond in his room. Just who did this kid think he was, talking about fleeting beauty. A changing beauty he could understand, for he had seen true beauty in the aging of the living. But FLEETING! What was the point of an exiting and fleeting beauty if it would disappear, leaving those who marveled at it hollow inside? "Why would you love something that would undoubtedly abandon you? Art resides in the peace and comfort, in the exhilaration of knowing that regardless of how long it has been, its presence will always remain. It is about the wonder of questioning how the artist manages to create something everlasting."

Deidara's eyes narrowed as his mind furiously started to make a new retort to defend what he believed in. Finally the boy said quickly while crossing his arms stubbornly over his chest, "Who cares if people remember you when you are gone, un? If art remains then it gives people a chance to analyze it and find faults. Start to criticize it even, as it rots in some museum or something. Fleeting art and explosives never rot and dim, yeah!" The blond's face was turning bright red from the effort of yelling back the things that the red head was saying, the thought of the other actually owning him totally thrown out the window as soon as he said that he was wrong.

Sasori snorted, amusement appearing in his cold eyes, "True art has no faults and leaves no room for critics. It does not let time harm it and it amazes through time and beyond. When it's fleeting, it's imperfect... That's why people forget about it so fast."

The blond's eyes narrowed even more at the word imperfect, he himself had been called that name many times before, so the blow hit close to home and he growled out in anger, visible blue eye starting to flash with trouble emotions, "Nothing's perfect, it's impossible."

A small smirk appeared in the stone cold face of the puppeteer, his back straightening up and putting space between them once more, "True art means perfection. That's why people feel trapped by it; why they feel as if a part of their souls has been reaped from them. Unless you can create the perfect piece. You will never be a true artist..."

Deidara bit his lip the words of the other's stinging his entire body horribly like a million angry bees... Being called a failure was something that the blond was used to, but still it hurt him, bringing up unwanted memories every time he even heard the word spoken. His blue eye dimmed with un-shed tears as his desperate gaze landed on a nearby clock that said their hour was up and quickly he stood up after scooping the clay figures back in the pouch and holding it to his chest, slowly he asked with such a volume that the other almost didn't hear him, "Shouldn't we be going un? You want to get rid of me right?"

A small almost imperceptible frown appeared on Sasori's face. He didn't like the dimmed look on the kid's eye. He wasn't sure as to why, but damn it, wasn't he certain that he HATED it. Wordlessly he rose from his seated position and walked towards the door, leaving it open so the blond would go after him. They walked in silence for some moments, the redhead turning his face backwards once in a while to check on Deidara. The boy was still sporting that depressed look. Repressing a sigh he slowed his walk so he was walking besides the blond, eyes stubbornly fixed ahead. His expression remained the same, but a small tension in his shoulders was visible. A cold hand rose in the air... just to fall a mere second later atop golden locks in a soft pat. His gaze never turned to the boy whose face was now fixed on the puppeteer, and some soft caresses later the cold hand returned to its place besides an equally cold body. "You're a good kid..." Sasori didn't say anything more for the rest of the short walk.

Deidara blinked in obvious surprise before a frustrated look appeared on his face, just why couldn't his new master seem to make up his mind? First he ignored him, then was being gentle and understanding, an arguing match started and Deidara was made to feel worthless, and now the red head does this! Visible eye narrowing the blond continued to follow both confused and annoyed, but he still couldn't help feeling HAPPY at the other's words as well... This was just so very strange for the poor teenager.

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Hyrulehalfbreed: -collapses on the keyboard- There finally done with this chapter, umm thanks to the ones that personally emailed me and made me get off my butt to start editing this. I have almost the entire next chapter also typed up and then I have to edit it... **IT IS FINALLY SUMMER AND AM HEADING TO EUROPE ON THE 10TH!**

Everyone thank my editor, the poor girl is starting college and has a crazy schedule during the day.

**Alright Please REVIEW AND BE KIND!**


	4. A Slow Transition Part Two

Hyrulehalfbreed: Alright people the next chapter of this interesting story ^^

I do NOT own Naruto or the wonderful characters!

"Talking"

_'Thinking'_

**Zetsu's dark side**

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Pein continued to stare at the ground, the sadness he was feeling for the situation hidden underneath his ever stoic expression. His mind was also starting to wander out of sight as he and his new owner started the boring walk to "Madara's" room. Apparently it was located in the northern wing of the strange innards of the base. The orange head was NOT impressed with the strange mansion like style of the building, though he knew most of his comrades were.

This fact was probably growing out of his ability to see the elegant decorations as simply ornaments to the place that he was going to be forced to spend the rest of his years at, or however long the spiky dark haired man still thought of him as entertaining. But there was something else that was adding another emotion to his troubled mind and that was a tingle of fear. He was supposed to be serving the leader of an organization of missing ninja that KILLED for a living... It was almost a sure thing that the cold blooded man was going to be sadistic towards him, as he seemed to already have taken a liking to pushing the young teen's buttons.

Finally Pein sighed softly to himself as he looked down at his hand, taking in the sight of the small, blue, paper crane that was nestled gently in his palm. It had remained hidden in his pocket during the whole time in the "shop" since he had first been captured. Closing his eyes he slowly started to remembered the pain of losing his parents and then being sent off to the streets. He had picked up a stray dog that he called Tiny and then met Konan and Yahiko. He had been separated from the other three though, when he stood his ground against the slave collectors so his friends could escape. Sure Pein probably would have been able to get away if it wasn't for the simple fact that he was low on chakra and that he hadn't known that there were FOUR other collectors coming right up behind him, striking him with a quick blow to the head. Sadly, Konan had only given him the small crane a few hours prior to his capture, made from the paper that she had stolen from a craft shop.

Madara, on the other hand, was feeling quite pleased with himself from his newest course of action. The sudden additions to their organization were bound to bring some entertainment to their lives, and by the gods, did they need this diversion for a while now. He allowed himself to release a smirk as he was unconcerned whether the teen saw it or not. Actually, he was SURE the orange haired brat wouldn't see his open expression as he was stiffly walking behind the older man, seemingly lost in thought. Madara barely suppressed a chuckle as he thought about the boy_, 'Pein'_... What an alluring name, filled with so many possibilities, so much passion. His smirk grew on his face as he thought of the different ways in which to break that passionate spirit and mold it to his purpose.

The dark haired man kept leading the way down a long hallway, minimally sensing the seals that protected the perimeter of his quarters and making sure to lower them as they both finally stopped in front of the huge scarlet doors that lead into the Uchiha's room. "Here we are," he muttered as he turned half way to open the wooden barrier with only one arm, making a mock reverence and signaling Pein to enter, "...Welcome to my world."

Pein sent the other an icy glare, more than annoyed with the fact that he was dragged out of his own private thoughts to listen to another of the man's "jokes". Holding in a biting remark the boy managed to slip past Madara's huge frame that seemed to dwarf his own. Quickly his gray eyes flickered around the room, taking in any place that he could hide in or use as an escape route if things ever got ugly.

The room was as one would expect from an evil mind... dark and ominous. Most everything in the place was either dark crimson or black: the thick curtains draped on either side of the large window, the walls, the floors, the futon and even the comforter and pillows! And by the looks of it, all things made of cloth were velvet, silk or some other fine linen. An ancient looking, and decidedly overly large, scroll was hanging in the center of another wall; ink still as black as new, curling in the elegant lines of a language forgotten by most. Regardless of its amazing size, the scroll was still made to look as a mere pocket scroll by the sheer size of the symbol painted on the wall it was lying against; the Uchiha crest proudly taking most of the wall, the reds and whites in beautiful contrast against the black background, which on closer inspection would be revealed to be an extremely dark blue.

It was a magnificent room, and Madara knew it well. He closely watched his new ward's face, expecting to see an amazed look on him and finding only detached wonder. He didn't lose his smirk though, as he knew something decidedly interesting would happen once he saw Pein fix his eyes on the weapons wall... Just a matter of time before he saw IT. Madara's smirk grew into maniacal proportions.

Pein's eyes were moving over the arrangement of objects in the room, inwardly surprised by their sheer number and the way everything had a strange elegance to it. Yet at the same time it gave off a dangerous, eerie feeling of foreboding. Eyes narrowing at the sight of the crest on the wall, but then he saw something on the wall along with the collection of swords and knives... it was a leather whip. It gave a glossy sheen, showing that it was still new and ready for use. Fear raced through his frame and shudders ran up and down his spin as he backed up in shock. But it was then that he backed right into the older man.

Madara's grin widened to full length when the small body of the teenager crashed into his own frame at the sight of the whip; big, warm arms slithered around the thin boy, holding him in place, "Worry not, Pein..." he whispered hotly in the other's ear as he pulled the teen even tighter into his chest, "We are not about to use that kind of thing yet... Maybe next week?" And with a hard laugh, he let go of the struggling body in his grasp, watching the frantic boy scrambling away from him.

The orange haired boy quickly backed up into the opposite wall, his heart beating so hard that Pein was sure that one more rush of panic would make the fluttering muscle burst. Suddenly Pein stiffened and felt the urge to smack himself in the forehead, after all he had just moved himself as far away as possible from the door he came through; the only known exit at the time! Now much to his disgust he knew what to expect for "next week" and that made the boy's skin take an ashen tone in horror. It seemed to be only now that he realized that because he was away from the others, his cool composer was breaking into a million pieces exposing the scared boy underneath for the other's dark eyes to see. With the younger more unstable boys around Pein had always brought it upon himself to be the calm, in control one in the group so he could become a crutch for the others so they wouldn't fall into despair and even insanity.

Madara's wide grin softened into what could only be described to be an amicable smirk, as he watched the many unexpected emotions run through the boy's broken mask. He was inwardly glad for this, in a surprisingly non-sadistic way, the boy wasn't a doll and that was good; it meant he hadn't been mistaken with his first impression of the normally calm and collected boy. The older man took a relaxed stance, trying to silently convey some security into the shaken teen, never moving from his position in front of the door. He HAD seen Pein eying it earlier and he wasn't about to chance an impromptu hide-and-seek game... for now. "Please kid, have a little more faith in me. It's not like I'll let you get hurt."

Pein didn't say anything on that subject though he silently wondered how he could EVER have faith in a man that was a cold blooded killer and ordered the deaths of others without a thought. Finally he took in a long breath and blew it out slowly, seeming to have gotten himself under control or at least enough to not jump or flinch whenever the older man shifted. But still his mask was not back up as he looked nervous and slightly furious at the fact that he was so put off by the other's mere presence.

However, no one could blame him, since the aura of the other had spoken of unbelievable power. Pein remained silent for a few more minutes before the pain in his feet refused to be ignored any longer, making their owner slip onto the floor and into a sitting position so he could look over the damage to his uncovered, unprotected feet. _'First thing I want is a bath, some bandages, a good meal, and then finally some sleep in an actually comfortable bed.' _He thought to himself before looking up towards the imposing figure.

Madara watched as Pein checked his wounded feet; poking damaged skin here and there while trying to hide the inevitable winces. He had forgotten the brats had been running around the forest bare foot and in meager scraps of clothing that did not protect their vulnerable bodies from the elements. He also knew that the kind thing to do would be to offer a nice hot bath for the kid, but then again whenever did he, leader of Akatsuki, do the 'nice thing'?

The teen would just have to wait until after the meeting before going to his bath. Silently, Madara started to walk closer the Pein, talking a roll of bandages from a hidden pocket in his clothes. He gracefully fell to the ground in front of the orange haired boy, quickly taking a wounded foot before the other could retaliate... and carefully tended to him, not a word or even a glance going between them.

Pein's face brightened in color, though whether it was in anger or embarrassment; or even both it was hard to say himself. He kept his eyes focused on a different part of the room; swords, scroll, bookshelves, futon, pillows, table, anything that was not the man tending to his feet. Biting his lip, gray eyes finally met the top of the man's head and the teen actually had to FIGHT the urge to reach up and pull on one of those black spikes, of course for information gathering! He just didn't understand how the hair could be defying gravity in such a way! But Pein resisted the temptation as he turned his gaze once again on the symbol and managed to ask while keeping his blush down as much as he could, "Why do you have the Uchiha crest on your wall?"

Madara made a small sound in the back of his throat; his hands stilling their movements, but not letting go of the half bandaged foot. His eyes rose to locked onto the peculiar gray ones of his charge, a smirk slowly growing on his face as he took notice of the boy's obvious intent to keep their gazes from meeting... and to keep down the furious blush on his own face. None of which was working, mind you. "Why, you ask?" he softly muttered as he shifted his eyes to look at the crest on his wall, silently amused that the other hadn't figured it out on his own already. "Maybe because I AM an Uchiha?"

Pein's eyes widened and he couldn't help but let the words tumble out of his mouth, "Tha-That's impossible, the whole clan was massacred 5 years ago. Only Itachi, Tobi, and Sasuke survived." The teen was also concerned by the fact that this meant that Madara had to be related to his friends, did the man really let his followers buy members of his own family... And use them in the ways that Madara might have in store for him in later days. Pein grimaced not wanting to think any more on that prospect.

Madara let out a short chuckle at the boy's obviously surprised and disbelieving reaction. He hadn't been expecting any less, considering the brat was friends with a trio of Uchihas; it was also rare for anyone to remember his own story from all those decades back. Old times, ancient history and whatnot; young Itachi would probably recognize him though, if given enough information. Letting his smirk grow bigger and using Pein's shock to lock eyes with him, Madara simply released a low, rumbling laugh, speaking in hushed tones that exuded power enough to be felt in the bones, "Lets just say that the clan and I had a small... 'disagreement' some years back, which made me unable to be present during the massacre, kid."

Pein shivered violently at the other's words, his mind starting to wonder over the possibilities of what Madara could be implying. What he did know though is that he would be speaking to Itachi later about this and see if just maybe he could find an upper hand, no matter how unlikely that was. But still the teen needed to focus on what was happening now, in the present, and with the man in front of him. Currently he was having a hard time breaking eye contact with the other's hypnotizing gaze. _'Wait hypnotizing?' _Pein's eyes widened before snapping the orbs shut, though it took a lot more force than he expected. Still he couldn't figure out if it was because of genjutsu, sharingan, or just the strangling grasp of the elder's power.

Madara let his smirk grow wider as Pein broke their eye contact... by the gods, this kid was surely amusing. Keeping his eyes fixed on the other's face, he renewed his task of tending to the injured feet, softly caressing whichever skin was uncovered while fastening the bandages. The older man couldn't help but chuckle with mirth as he wondered if the boy had even realized that he had been rubbing his ankle with his thumb while they both spoke those short lines about the clan.

The orange haired boy slowly reopened his eyes though he made sure to keep their eyes from meeting, remembering the tales of the sharingan's power from the other Uchihas all too well. But suddenly he felt Madara's fingers run over a very sensitive part of his foot making the teen bite into his lip so hard that it was about to start bleeding... Yes, Pein was ticklish but only on his feet, the teenager had learned that the hard way from Konan and now it seemed the past was coming back to haunt him, though not in the form of a laughing blue haired girl, no now it was coming from a cold blooded man that had bought him as a slave.

Madara stopped his ministrations, suddenly aware of the boy's tense form. His gaze traveled up the stiff body, finally settling on the impassive face of the young man. Pein seemed normal... his detached mask firmly in place, but Madara wasn't the Akatsuki leader for nothing, and he could easily note the slight differences, from the tightly pressed mouth, to the barely widened eyes. Rising an eyebrow in all his Uchiha glory, he allowed a teasing smirk to grow sideways on his face, while long fingers traced a line from the boy's heel, up through the half bandaged sole of a small, now quivering, foot.

Pein took a sharp intake of breath and finally looked at the other about to tell him to stop, hell he didn't care about looking weak, he NEEDED to stop this before it went too far, but it was already too late as the man drew his finger down the foot once again. This forced the teenager grip the carpet as he couldn't hold in a short laugh through gritted teeth, though his expression quickly turned horrified when he looked towards the smirking face of Madara.

So... he certainly wouldn't have pegged Pein as a ticklish person. But oh well, he wasn't complaining now, was he? Madara's smirk just grew as he locked his eyes onto the horrified gaze of the teen, letting his hand's movement stop, leaving his hands still on the scrawny foot. Without breaking eye contact, the older man finished bandaging the appendage, and carefully placing the foot on the ground, he stood up from his seated position with a grace that spoke volumes of hidden power.

Pein quickly jerked his legs closer to his body, keeping his feet firmly hidden under his ass as he glared at the other. Inwardly though, he knew all too well that the other had figured him out and that the aura that was being given off from the man's stare told the boy that without a doubt that Madara was the one in control and there was nothing he could do to change that. Reluctantly Pein accepted this fact as his eyes lowered slightly, more than a little annoyed and disheartened by the situation.

Madara released a soft chuckle at the other's obvious discomfort, silently pleased for this new information he now held over Pein's head. Without saying another word he turned around and started making his way towards the main door, putting his hand on the hard wood surface before glancing over his shoulder at the still slumped figure. "Are you planning on following me anytime soon?" he asked, his voice laughing even without modifying his expression that much. "...or maybe you'd rather I carry you?" The last words whispered into the still air of the room, their meaning plainly mocking, matching the amused eyes watching the quickly scrambling form of one orange headed teen.

Pein was over by Madara in a second, he knew the other was teasing him, but still he wasn't about to give the other male even a chance to go through with what he suggested. After all, it was obvious that the Akatsuki leader was impulsive, yet would always make good on his threats and promises. The trek back through the hallways was more comfortable than before since the wounded feet were now covered... However, there was no way in hell that he was going to thank his new owner.

Madara couldn't keep the smirk from his face, aware and slightly bothered as he was to realize his cheeks were starting to hurt from the unending exertion. But then again... it was just too amusing to see the little one squirming whenever he caught sight of his tilted lips; so his face would just have to get used to it. As they kept on walking, the older Uchiha kept noticing the increasing aura of annoyed feelings around Pein, knowing that it was directly related with his own actions in the room. And damn... he wanted to make that annoyance reach exploding levels... but what could he...? The smirk on Madara's face widened to the point where every tooth was visible between the space of his lips; and he made sure Pein saw such expression. He stopped suddenly in the middle of the hallway, making the teen almost loose his footing with the surprise.

Turning his head to the side, he cocked his neck sideways, locking deep black eyes with the unusual ones of his new ward, "Listen carefully kid..." The amusement was gone from his body, no smile whether physical or in his voice was present; a heavy and serious air settled over them, as Madara bent his back just enough to appear eye level to Pein. The boy's back had squared and his attention was obviously on the other man. He sensed this was important. The Uchiha opened his mouth, watching with muted emotions as Pein held in his breath, waiting for the words to come, only to receive a soft, yet forceful, press of lips on his own. As fast as he had began, Madara ended the unexpected kiss, delivering one last smirk in the brat's direction before restarting his way towards the main hall.

Pein blinked, his mind actually stopped! That shouldn't, COULDN'T have just happened, no he just couldn't believed that he was KISSED by the older male. Inwardly the orange haired boy smacked himself as he realized that his hand was already halfway up to his lips, but he quickly stopped the action. The boy was starting to shake... anger, frustration, annoyance, and most of all fear were all near the boiling points as he gazed at Madara's retreating form. In a small pocket in the back of his mind Pein knew that this was what the other man wanted, but damn it, he couldn't hide his emotions no, not this time. The feelings were being flung around his person like they were caught in a huge whirlwind. Grey eyes clenched shut as he tried to control himself, Pein knew that he was becoming less and less of the cool headed boy that the other slaves looked up to.

But still he managed to force himself to follow the man, the threat of being carried still hanging in the air. He was going to get back at Madara for this, after all, stealing his first kiss without warning was unforgivable. Yes, that was a promise that he was more than willing to take to his grave. What the orange haired boy didn't realize though, was that there was one side of him that enjoyed every minute of the man's teasing, taunting, and cruel jokes such as the tickling and sudden kiss. This side yearned punishment and a sadistic form of affection. After all, the name Pein came from the word pain. Something that never seemed to bore him as it was TOO close to his old life and to him as a person.

Madara kept on walking, eyes up front and smirk firmly set on his lips; his pose undisturbed even when he felt Pein fall in step by his side. He was enjoying this, and far more than he had first expected. He knew that the teen's defenses were lowered... He KNEW that his heart must be clear as a smack on the boy's face. He had practically heard the mask cracking back in that hallway after all. But he didn't look at Pein at all during their short trek; at least not until he was certain the kid was under control... he would give him that little benefit for now. The brat deserved it for all the amusement he had provided so far, and it wasn't even a whole day! Chuckling airily under his breath, Madara fixed his gaze on the approaching grand doors.

Pein sent a glare as soon as he heard the soft laugh but still the teen couldn't do a thing about it, so he crossed his arms over his chest an annoyed expression set on his face. All he wanted now was to get as far away from Madara as possible and back in the safety of his little group. Those boys always showed him respect and understanding, quiet the opposite of what the eldest Uchiha seemed to enjoy doing to him.

XXXXXXXX With Kisame XXXXXXXXXXXX

Kisame considered himself an uncomplicated man. Yes, he was a missing nin. Yes, he was known and hunted in practically every village he happened to be at the moment. And yes, let's not forget the fact that he worked in a pretty underhanded organization... Not to mention he was BLUE. But all in all, he prided himself in being able to deal with, no exaggerations here, everything life could possibly throw his way. Except his current situation, the blue man found himself sighing again, seated in a chair in his room by the bed, watching over the still unconscious form lying on said bed. _'Itachi'_, his mind supplied. The kid was good on his ground, that much was obvious; and Kisame wasn't about to underestimate the teen, but he was so young and just imagining the things he must have been through protecting his little brother... He sighed, again.

He hadn't agreed at first with the 'new members' scheme the Leader had seemed to come up with, but he followed with the plan anyway; and he wouldn't back off from his responsibilities now. A soft smile made its way onto his face as he brushed a strand of inky black hair from the soft expanse of creamy skin that was Itachi's forehead. Kisame had always had a weak spot for youngsters under his charge. It had been so when he was still part of Mist village with his team, and it was still now, inside the Akatsuki. Maybe he would be able to help this adult kid along the way.

Letting his rough fingers caress a soft cheek for a second, Kisame made a vow he would be sure to accomplish: he would protect these Uchihas. His smile grew a little more, and with a warm glance at the teen's relaxed face, he stood from his chair and moved to the center of the room, sitting cross legged on the softly carpeted floor. His eyes closed, and his whole stance seemed to loosen as he fell into a meditative state, senses always aware of his surroundings... At least now the kid would stop pretending he was asleep so desperately and might even start to relax.

Itachi had resisted the urge to shudder when his hair and face were touched by the strangely gentle hand, ironically the Uchiha had woken up the second that he had been carried into the inner building inside the Akatsuki headquarters. Dark eyes shifted over to his new owner and saw that he was now sitting, and looking quiet relaxed, in the middle of the floor. Itachi bit his lip as he started to shift position, forcing himself into a kneeling position, sitting comfortably on his feet as watched the blue skinned male. "Kisame" was an ex-mist nin and carried a large sword, in addition to having quiet fearsome looks; still there something about the relaxed expression on the other's face that made him slowly relax as well from his sitting position on the bed.

Kisame kept his eyes closed and his breathing even, as he sensed Itachi slowly relaxing. The kid was too jumpy, though he couldn't really blame him for that. He still frowned just remembering the ANBU tattoo on his arm. Kisame was fairly good at reading ink, and he could tell that that particular mark was OLD. But he wouldn't duel on that; it was part of who this boy was, and what he fought for and believed in. The man would very well respect that. Taking another deep breath, he decided to start working on the kid; might as well lay down the initial ground, right? "You feeling better?" His voice was rough and low, yet as nonthreatening as he could pull off... he didn't want to scare Itachi after all.

Itachi stiffened slightly and though he knew that the other's eyes were closed he bowed lowly in his sitting position so his forehead was almost touching the plush and inviting comforter; he spoke slowly, tone soft and apologetic, "Yes, and please forgive me for passing out. You shouldn't have had to carry me, Kisame-sama."

The teen's whole body was stiff once again as he waited for the other's response. Sure acting so submissively made a BIG dent in his pride, but it seemed like pride and morals wouldn't be of much value in the place and position he was now in. Closing his eyes slowly the Uchiha thought of his little brother and how he could be doing with that... that blond. Inwardly a whole new arrange of death threats were issued towards the boy, but what really made his heart almost stop was the thought that he might not even be able to see his brother much or if at all. Still Kisame wasn't able to see Itachi's grimaces and frowns as he kept his head facing downwards and lowered to the bed. The Uchiha knew that the shark man, like most owners, probably wouldn't be pleased by the sight of a pet not being able to control their emotions.

A migraine was forming. A BIG migraine. Taking an expediently deep breath and slowly opening his eyes, Kisame watched the bowing form kneeling on his bed. He REALLY wasn't expecting that last comment. Suppressing a grimace as much as he could, the man took another breath, forcing down his throat any possible violent response he could have said... He had a serious problem with slavery, and he would be DAMNED if this fiery kid acted all mellowed up in front of him. "No bowing, Itachi-san... just NO." He forced out, reminding himself mentally time and again, not to sound as growly and feral as he was sure he would have normally done. "If we're going to get this insanity going, we're going to have to be on relatively even ground. So, no groveling. It's unbecoming of you."

Itachi straightened up almost instantly and surprise flickered across his face, however it was covered up almost as fast as it was given. After all, wouldn't you be shocked by the fact that you were just told to be untamed around your new owner? Yet the Uchiha stayed in his place as he gazed at the other wondering what the hell he was supposed to say to Kisame; what exactly did he mean by saying that they needed to be on "even ground"? The Akatsuki member was superior wasn't that just the end of it?

Kisame looked at the kid kneeling on his bed and a sudden wave of exasperation coursed through his body: it seemed that it wouldn't be so easy to calm the teen down. Allowing himself a deep sigh that seemed capable of wasting half of his spirit, he locked light golden eyes to the confused dark ones of his guest, "Itachi-san, please. Let's not make this more difficult than it should be. I won't hurt you, nor will I let anyone else here do so." Quickly adding mentally to himself, '_Not that I have any doubts about your ability to be able to give any member here a run for their money.' _"So please... relax!"

Itachi's eyes widened just a fraction at the other's promise and the way that he seemed to be being so completely frank with him. The raven felt his admiration for the man known as Kisame go up a notch; not many people male OR female would turn down the chance to order someone like himself into becoming completely and utterly submissive to their will. Well at least on the outside, there was no possible way for any creature alive or dead to his knowledge that could quite Itachi's inner thoughts. It seemed to also send a warm sensation through his body at the fact that he was SAFE, actually and truly safe since the night of the massacre.

The young Uchiha could feel the muscles in his shoulders starting to loosen, followed closely by the tension in his back and spin, then finally the muscles in his face and neck. Still the boy's inner most thoughts were under lock and key as he continued to look at the blue skinned male saying softly, his face though remaining forever impassive, "Thank you."

Kisame's eyes widened in surprise, having not expected the words of gratitude from the other. However the shock wore off rather quickly, and was soon followed by a wide grin that left all his sharp teeth uncovered. Standing up with a grace one would think unlikely in someone of his bulk, and moving with silent yet fast steps towards the bed, the blue man put a big, warm hand on top of Itachi's head, giving him a soft caress, "You're very welcome, Itachi-san."

Itachi stiffened slightly at the other's touch though he slowly relaxed once again. Kisame promised that he wouldn't allow any harm to come upon him and for some reason the Uchiha couldn't believe that he was lying. Letting out a soft breath that was not quite a sigh, he asked slowly while dark eyes flickered upwards to gaze at the blue skinned face, "Do you know how my little brother is going to be fairing with, Naruto was it?" Itachi let out the name with spite filling his voice though he immediately went silent, once again inwardly flinching, surely he was going to be, at the very least, scolded harshly for insulting another member.

Kisame stopped caressing the surprisingly soft hair on the kid's head, and promptly fell to the floor with a loud thump in a seated position; his right elbow on his knee as his hand supported his head, a pensive frown on his face, "Naruto... is a good kid. A little impulsive, and with an overbearing attitude; but a good kid. And your little brother seemed to be the kind of person who would keep the brat on his toes, and in the good way." The last part was said with a soft smile stretching across his lips; after all, what could he possibly do? Kisame was really fond of Naruto, "Besides, the brat was all against Leader's plan of acquiring you all, yet he chose, Sasuke, was it? As soon as he saw him... yeah, I think he will take good care of the little one."

Itachi's shoulders slowly began to relax once again, though his mind was starting to roll over the information that the other had given him. Would Sasuke really be able to keep that blond a safe distance? A whole new frown set across his face, though because of the lack of emtion that all Uchihas were famous for, it was only a small downwards tilt of the lips.

After all, did either of the boys hit puberty yet and actually knew what to do? That thought made Itachi's right ebony eyebrow twitch slightly and he quickly turned back towards the ex-mist nin and his amused expression, asking with only the faintest traces of hesitation, "What are you planning on doing with me Kisame-sama? I don't want to be an annoyance and it seems that I probably will be while you are doing missions, whether I stay or go with you."

Kisame's face soured instantly, though he tried to regain control of his actions not a second later. He couldn't really blame the kid for still having doubts about his intentions, but damn, he could surely have a little more faith in him, couldn't he? "First of all:" he started, one blue finger extended and shoved so close to Itachi's face that it made him cross his eyes, "Drop the -sama- bullshit, at least when we're alone... It makes me feel awkward. And second: kid, no offense, but I won't be turning to you for a physical release beyond a good spar, anytime soon."

Itachi re-focused his eyes onto the man's face and the trained dark orbs picked up no lies or deception, but he, for some odd reason, felt only a small amount of relief at the fact that he wasn't going to be used for sexual pleasure. The Uchiha quickly realized that Kisame was waiting for his response and answered quickly, "That's perfectly fine with me."

Yet the teenager was inwardly surprised by the fact that he seemed to be rushing his words and quickly he turned his eyes on a different part of the room, why the hell wasn't he happy? Maybe, HOPEFULLY, he was still just acting strangely because of the strange mixture of exhaustion and adrenaline in his system... If it wasn't..._ 'Well maybe I'm finally going insane,'_ Itachi thought to himself with an inward grimace; slowly his eyes moved back to Kisame's wonder actually being able to be seen cleanly in the onyx depths.

Kisame offered a soft friendly smile at the boy's reaction. He was adorable!... Not that Kisame would speak that aloud... without a bottle or two of sake in his system. However, his brow frowned in worry when he saw the tired expression settling into deep black eyes. The kid was exhausted. He had not only raced in the forest for most of the night, he had also suffered a massive chakra depletion... No wonder he looked ready to collapse. Giving another warm smile in Itachi's direction, the older man spoke in an apologetic tone, "I would offer a warm bath and a bed for you to sleep in, but it's almost time for us to go to the meeting. I don't think it'll last too long, so try to remain conscious for a little while longer, okay, Itachi-san?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed at the joke, though he knew it was supposed to be a comforting gesture from the gruff man. The damned Uchiha pride was getting in the way again as he quickly stood up from the bed trying to seem indifferent and completely fine. It MAY have worked if it wasn't for the fact that he swayed on his feet as he tried to regain his balance from sitting and sleeping for so long. His legs might as well have been molded from jelly and bones being old toothpicks!

Kisame rushed to the boy's side as soon as his saw him barely holding himself up; he grabbed Itachi's bony shoulders, his big, soft hands holding the teen delicately as if handling a china cup and guiding him back onto the bed. Not many knew this, but Kisame was actually a very soft mannered person, and he soon decided to use this ability to interact from now on with his charge... Who knew that the kid's pride would be so damn big?

Holding in the need to roll his eyes, the blue man crouched down on the floor, so as to be eye-to-eye with Itachi, his arms still pressed over the boy's shoulders, spreading warmth through his body, "Don't over do it, Itachi-san. I'm not insulting you, just stating my belief that you wouldn't appreciate it if I had to carry you around all day because you fell down and hurt yourself. You're low on chakra... Let me take care of you just this once; after all it IS my fault, somewhat."

Itachi slowly nodded his head in agreement though it was obvious that it was forced if the defeated sigh he let out wasn't enough as a hint to his obvious distaste towards the whole situation. In the very depths of his soul he knew that he really did like the fact that the man was trying to help, even if Itachi REALLY didn't want it. He also had to hold back the arrogant comment that his condition was almost completely the other's fault.

Kisame could see that Itachi wasn't entirely appeased, but as he released the boy's shoulders and looked with an amused expression at the other's pouting face, he couldn't help but note how CUTE the kid looked with his metaphorical feathers ruffled up. Giving a quick glance at the clock on his desk, Kisame straightened up, pulling Itachi's arm and helping him stabilize in a standing position. "Time to get going Itachi-san. Might as well be punctual and get this over with so you can get a well earned rest."

Itachi nodded his head in agreement, though truthfully he wondered how he was going to be able to manage walking down the hallway even with Kisame's help. The knees were shaking horribly as he grabbed the arm that was holding onto one of his own keeping him from falling completely to the floor. The Uchiha was embarrassed once again by his state, yet he was also annoyed. After all like the rest of his deceased clan he had a strong dislike of help and being late.

Kisame held in a chuckle at the unhappy expression on the other's face. This kid's pride was something else! However, he decided to keep any comment for himself and avoid another attempt from the kid to show how capable he was on his own... even when he was obviously too exhausted to walk on his own feet. The blue man made sure to make as little contact as possible, not wanting to scare Itachi away, much less give the wrong impression (that the boy still seemed to grasp onto). He didn't grab, nor pulled; just supported the boy as they made the slow way towards the door.

Itachi's movements when almost drunken as he was helped into the decorated hallway and only after a few minutes of walking the raven felt like he couldn't move any farther without falling face first onto the rich, ruby red rug that ran down the length of the entire base. Itachi was forced to lean against the other, actually glad that his huge body could be used as a wall to slowly catch his breath. _'Damn, I REALLY wish I had never used all that chakra on running and jutsus.' _the young man thought to himself tiredly, all his effort concentrating on the effort to not pant for escaping breath.

Kisame stopped abruptly as he felt the other leaning so fully against his side... by the gods, the kid was even more tired that he had first thought. Making sure that Itachi wouldn't fall the second he pulled his arm away from him, Kisame brought his now free hand closer to the boy's face, cupping a pale cheek with his calloused, warm hand. "Itachi-san, I know you probably won't like this... but I think it'll be far safer for me to carry you... at least until you've regained most of your energy."

Itachi's eyes narrowed but he knew that he really had no other choice but to accept the offer knowing that everything was going downhill from there as his eyes blurred slightly. Looking over at Kisame he gave a reluctant nod, he was feeling in the pit of his stomach both pain and discomforting heat that made his body ache simultaneously...

Kisame gave a soft, reassuring smile as he knelled down, and wrapped a strong arm around Itachi's legs, hoisting him up effortlessly. Most of the teen's torso was supported by Kisame's chest, and guiding Itachi's arms with his free hand around his boras neck, he made sure that the kid wouldn't lose his balance. This way, it looked as if the Uchiha was seated on the blue man's arm, and, Kisame inwardly considered, wouldn't be such a blow to the teen's pride. A deep frown appeared on his forehead, however, when he FELT on his own skin the heat radiating from the boy's body. Pressing his free hand to Itachi's neck, he allowed himself a heavy sigh as he realized yet another inconvenience "...you have a fever, Itachi-san..."

Itachi's face was red he didn't know if it was from fever or embarrassment, but he did know though that he could feel his cheeks actually burning. Withholding the urge to rest his head against the other's chest when another spell of nausea hit him, Itachi growled out softly, "I'm fine. I just need to rest."

Inwardly the raven knew that he probably looked horrible with his flushed cheeks while the rest of his body was even paler than usual. Besides that though the worn, tight clothing he wore actually showed off JUST how skinny he was, even more so than the others since he would always make sure his brother had enough to eat to stay healthy; even if he sacrificed his own body to do so. He didn't give a damn about Sasuke's heavy protests, the younger boy was something precious to him. However, as a result Itachi probably had the worst immune systems to fight off disease possible until he regained a good body weight and life style.

Kisame snorted, clearly amused by the other's words "You're not only exhausted Itachi-san, you are very much sick, I can tell. As soon as the meeting's over, you are going to eat a large portion of my special stew; then a hot bath, and finally a full night of rest... and maybe more than a night if we're lucky..." Offering another reassuring smile to his charge, Kisame sped up his peace, already walking on the main hallway that would lead them to the meeting room.

Itachi didn't make a move to argue and just seemed to have resigned to his fate. The boy was just too tired to do anything else as he looked towards the rapidly approaching set of grand doors that he guessed was where this meeting was taking place behind.

XXXXXXX With Orochimaru XXXXXXXXXXXX

The silver haired boy walked behind his new owner with a mind busy with the almost desperate task of trying to memorize the pathway they were walking through. After all, he needed to establish the quickest way back to the entrance firmly into his brain, in case he ever needed to make a quick escape. He did know, in some pocket of his consciousness, that he didn't have much of a chance to get away now and even if he did he knew that he wouldn't be able to forgive himself for leaving the rest of their little group behind. Yes, even though he usually was cold and calculating he did care about their little family; brought together by unfortunate circumstances.

Orochimaru kept walking at a steady peace through the darker maze like corridors of Akatsuki's main base, his room being stationed farther back than the main rooms. No one was willing to hear the screams of his victims all night long, after all. Suppressing a wide smirk at the thought of the countless ninja who believed themselves good enough to sneak up on Akatsuki and suffered the consequences... sometimes it even amazed himself how much he enjoyed the benefits of belonging to this particular organization. So many free bodies for his experiments; and occasional pleasure, of course._ 'And speaking of pleasure...' _the snake man thought as he gazed briefly at the teen walking so obediently behind him.

As soon as the door to his quarters came into view, the wide smile he had been trying to suppress spread across his face; and taking another look at the boy as he opened the ominous black doors, Orochimaru couldn't help licking his lips while locking eyes with the kid..._ 'Kabuto..'_ his mind supplied... Oh the things he could do to such a vigorous, young body.

A shiver ran up Kabuto's spin as the dark haired man turned to look at him while finally coming to a stop in front of the doors of what he guessed to be the other's chambers. However, when the doors opened to the room, the teenager was hardly surprised as the room looked exactly like he expected it to. The walls were a deep purple in color, while the carpet and bed were black though there were splashes of red and white spread around the richly decorated room. Suppressing the urge to just flat out refuse to enter the dark expanse the bespectacled boy forced his feet to follow, he couldn't help but twitch though at 'the look' the other was giving him with those glowing yellow eyes.

Orochimaru swiftly closed, and locked, the doors behind himself; his smile stretching wider by the second. Cocking his head to the side he let his eyes roam Kabuto's body up and down, assessing the goods, so to speak. The boy was really beautiful, he noted, with his pale skin and silver locks... he contrasted amazingly well with the setting of the snake man's room. "So Kabuto-kun..." he spoke lowly, dragging the letters in a slithery kind of way, "Please, do share something about your self." A long slippery tongue came out of chalky lips, moistening their surface as the smirk settled on the angular face of the older man.

Kabuto stiffened just the slightest when he turned to once again face the other. Truthfully he didn't know what to say and the fact that he was before such a powerful and dangerous male was not comforting in the slightest. Trying to keep down the large lump in his throat he asked softly, "What would you like to know Orochimaru-sama?" But as soon as the words left his mouth he felt something move over his bare feet causing him to leap, eyes widening at the sight of a VERY large snake moving across the floor where he had been standing only a few seconds before.

The pale sannin rose a thin eyebrow high in his forehead, entirely amused by the current situation. "Well, some basics about yourself, such as age, height, talents, and any other pertinent information for me to know... You seem intelligent enough child; you can figure it out." Orochimaru didn't even bothered to suppress his chuckle when he saw the boy slightly jumping when he stressed the word 'talent'... Seriously, the kid would have to learn to lose his hesitation when answering to him... The Snake Sannin couldn't be bothered with the delays of doubt.

Kabuto bit his lip before straightening up, his expression turning slightly serious as he started to list off the information that he knew about himself, "I have type AB blood and I have the birth date of February 29th. I'm 14 now and I do not have any knowledge about who my parents are or how I gained the blood line healing ability. I trained myself by reading books for the library in my old village and watching other ninja though I never went to an academy or was registered." The glasses were once again pushed back into place as he watched the snake like male, hoping that he would have answered some questions and avoided any farther questioning about what the other was implying by "talents"; Kabuto shivered just the slightest at the thought of the other man must have been thinking, eying his body like that earlier.

Orochimaru's smirk remained in place as his eyelids lowered to half mast over his eyes, and he made his way across the room towards a door slightly hidden behind a long, thick purple curtain on the left wall. With some fast movements of his hands he canceled the protective jutsu around the metal door. Finishing the suppression of the guards by pressing his palm to the center of it, he felt an electrifying current pass through his body. The door opened without a sound, and a bright light flowed from the area behind it.

It was quite a strange entrance, even one that is not skilled could feel the waves of chakra crackling along their skin the further they walked... or were dragged into the short passageway. The hallway was brightly illuminated by unseen sources; and in the end, another metal door with the clear inscriptions of LAB on it's front. Smiling over his shoulder at the nervous boy, Orochimaru made a quick signal with his head, and started walking inside towards his personal laboratory.

Kabuto followed without a word; biting his bottom lip as he fell in step behind the other. However, when they actually entered the room a cold sweat ran down his spine at what was laying before him in the surprisingly white walls. Metal tables and gurneys laid around the entire place; occupied by the rows upon rows of medical items laid about. There were several bookcases of both new and old volumes, the books and scrolls holding secretes that no man should ever know. There was another doorway that had a particularly heavy locks placed upon it. On the door it read in black lettering on silver, 'SUBJECTS CONTAINMENT'. All these over whelming and sinister objects forcing him to swallow down a whimper of fear at the thought of what took place in this room.

Orochimaru's smirk widened to the point of painful as he heard Kabuto's sharp intake of breath at entering the lab. The sharp snap of his fingers echoed in the sterilized room, and not a second later, was followed by a muted yelp as Gina, one of the larger snakes under his command, wrapped around the boy's waist, dragging him up onto one of the shinny tables.

Kabuto fought to get loose, but the squirming only caused the grip around his waist to tighten allowing no movement for the boy to escape as he was pulled up to lay on the cold table. The 14 year old was shivering in fear and disbelief as he moved his head to look towards the older male, fear playing across his face like performers in a musical.

Orochimaru's walk towards the table was slow and deliberate, each step powerful, yet abnormally silent atop the floor. He could practically TASTE the boy's fear in the air as he slithered his tongue out yet again to wet his lips. He would enjoy this kid, that was for sure. He stretched out his hand, inching it closer to Kabuto's scared face, the boy's eyes tightly closed behind his glasses. And then, with a quick movement of his hand, not different from a cobra's attack... he stuck a lollipop into the silver headed child's mouth. "Now why don't you tell me more about your healing abilities, Kabuto-kun." And after patting softly the kid's head, he gracefully fell down on the chair by the metal table.

Kabuto's eyes snapped open as the snake's grip suddenly loosened to instead curl up in his lap; but still with the sweet in his mouth he stared at the other man... had he just been playing with him the entire time? This man, Kabuto felt rage well up inside him; he had thought he was about to be fucking killed or tortured and instead this happens! Still the bespectacled boy pushed down the feeling of indignation to stare at the pale skinned sannin before finally reluctantly speaking; "The power activates automatically to whenever a wound occurs on my body by sending chakra to heal the damaged flash, but I'm still able to heal others with almost no effort."

A humming sound fell from the man's throat as he processed what was being said, silently mussing over all the possibilities. "So basically, you've got an enormous amount of chakra in your body which instantly reacts as a healing tool when faced with injury... interesting..." Orochimaru's eyes narrowed in thought, mindlessly petting a young snake that had slithered into his lap. This ability of his new ward would be very interesting for himself and the organization. A quick glance over the boy's slim figure, and the wicked smirk reappeared on his face. But the major benefit would be for himself, of course.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hyrulehalfbreed: Well there is the next chapter ^^ Next we will see Naruto and Sasuke; how will they spend an hour together, a brooding Uchiha and a hyper blond? **PLEASE REVIEW AND BE KIND, I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!**


	5. Apology

I will no longer be updating my stories on FF.

I lost all of the chapters I had written because of computer problems and I'm not really interested in writing anymore since I am too busy with college classes and social life.

**I would like someone to adopt these fics. **

I'm sorry everyone, but thanks for your lovely reviews and support.

Life is just too crazy for me right now and I just have to let go of some things so I can focus on others.


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